Until recent, the Kern County Fire Department was relying on two fomer US Army UH-1's. With the introduction of this 2024 built Bell 412EPX in December of 2024, one of the old UH-1's nicknamed "Helicopter 408" (registered N408KC) was officially retired the same month. The KCFD operates out of Keene Heliport southeast of Bakersfield, California. It is believed that the 2nd UH-1 (registered N407KC), is still active and will be operated alongside the new state-of-the-art Bell 412, which is equipped with a DART "Fire Attack" water tank and snorkel.