Flagler County officials welcomed a new helicopter during a ceremony Wednesday at Flagler Executive Airport while it praised the work of its old chopper which was saluted as it flew into the sunset of its service.

The new Airbus H125 helicopter will continue the duties of the previous helicopter, including flying crash victims or shooting victims in need of urgent medical care to hospitals. It will also be an important asset in the fight against fires, Flagler County Fire Rescue Chief Michael Tucker said.

Like the old machine, the new helicopter will be called "FireFlight" and it will continue to help battle any fires in a county which was evacuated in 1998 due to devastating wildfires. It was after those wildfires that the county purchased a helicopter which could help spot flames and then dump water on them.

“It has kept many of the fires that we respond to, it’s kept them small, so we can put them out quickly," Tucker said. “Sometimes we have actually discovered fires with that helicopter when we do the reconnaissance patrol after a storm.”

Tucker said the new chopper cost the county $5.6 million. He said the county sold its 24-year-old helicopter for $650,000.