Kern County Fire Department Introduces the 409 Helicopter to Its Aerial Fleet

DELANO, Calif. (KERO) — The 408 Helicopter has been in the skies since 1968 and after many missions, it is time to retire the 408 Helicopter and introduce the 409 Helicopter, a new, state-of-the-art aircraft .

• The “Helicopter 408” model has been used by firefighters since 2000. Its first mission took place in September 1968 during the Vietnam War and was also used as an army medical evacuation.
• KCFD says goodbye to its trusted bird and integrates the 409 helicopter into its aerial fleet.
• KCFD claims that this helicopter is a more capable and efficient aircraft, with faster speed and higher payload capacity.

For 20 years, the Kern County Fire Department has used a helicopter that was used in the Vietnam War. But now the ministry is ready to introduce this new state-of-the-art helicopter.

“Helicopter 408 has logged over 1,835 military hours in the Republic of Vietnam,” said KCFD Fire Chief Aaron Duncan.

“In Vietnam, Helicopter 408 was shot down several times and was involved in three separate accidents.”

Vietnam veteran Fermin Torres was part of the helicopter crew, being one of the few who experienced the 408 life.

“I remember we left at 6 a.m. and we went fully loaded on a search and destroy mission that we never accomplished, the helicopter was hit pretty badly in the side,” Torres said.

The KCFD says that between July 2000 and October 2024, Helicopter 408 flew a total of 5,200 combat hours, was assigned to more than 2,400 fires and dropped more than 8 million gallons of water.

But now the ministry is introducing the 408 helicopter.

“We will be able to transport more firefighters to the scene, we will be able to deliver more water to the fire scene. No more rescues, medevacs like that, day or night, so we’re happy to move into this cell even though it’s bittersweet to retire the 408,” said Brandon Asher, operations battalion chief KCFD aircraft.

The 409 helicopter is intended to be used primarily in firefighting situations, but it can also be used for several other purposes to help save lives.

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