LA County Fire heli ops article
My first helicopter ride in 1978 to an unknown ridgeline near the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in central Idaho to fight fire, ignited (haha) a fascination with helicopters and firefighting. It continued till my last ride in 1988 in Yellowstone which was also my last fire. Even thought about joining the Army in an attempt to learn how to become a helicopter pilot, but I'm not cut out for government work.
Link is a free gifted article that gets you behind the NYT paywall.