I mean, honestly I don't know what he is referring to. Planes drop retardant, and firecrews don't typically have the luxury of hooking up to hydrants. There isnt enough hose in the country, the fire is the size of Los Angeles at this point. They dig fire lines and do their best to divert the blaze. I'm an hour south of the Carr fire, and two hours east of the Mendocino fires. Our sky has looked like the apocalypse for a week, and everything is covered in ash.

But as for water, one of the most impressive things you'll ever see is a helicopter lower a bucket into your swimming pool, or a reservoir, lake, etc, without landing, fly over a hot spot and dump the load. They'll do this 30 times before they refuel. Firefighters are serious heros around here, and everyone pulls out all the stops to accommodate them. Years ago I worked at a hotel and we donated all 200 rooms to firecrews so they wouldnt have to sleep on the side of the road, if they get to sleep at all.