San Diego County wants to buy a second firefighting helicopter equipped for making water drops at night. It has nearly $4 million in hand but needs to find $14 million to pay for it.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted a unanimous 4-0 to pursue funding for the new helicopter, as well as buying four water tenders, which cost nearly $1 million each, and another $750,000 per tender a year to cover staffing costs. Finding money for the big-ticket items will be considered for the budget for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1.
The supervisors also want to take a hard look at brush management money and methods — from grants to goats — to clear hazardous vegetation and also get a better handle on the region’s fire preparedness. That includes learning more about water supply and hydrant systems, the approach behind public safety power shut-offs and hearing from the insurance industry about the issues homeowners face.
The whole idea is to stop fires as fast as possible and prevent the out-of-control spread that led to the destruction seen in Los Angeles earlier this month, and in San Diego in prior firestorms.
“If we can spend millions to save billions, I think that’s a better effort,” said Supervisor Jim Desmond, who brought the wildfire preparedness plan to the board.
The decision to pursue buying a second chopper, more water tenders and enhanced brush management efforts followed a presentation at the board meeting from regional public safety officials about the county’s fire preparedness.
In 2008, following two devastating and deadly firestorms, officials created the County Fire Protection District to improve and coordinate fire service in incorporated areas. Staffing is provided by Cal Fire.
Cal Fire/San Diego County Fire Chief Tony Mecham told the board Tuesday it is one of the largest fire protection districts in the state. He also said that, after the Los Angeles fires, he is “expecting additional investments by the state to bolster wildland fire protection.”
Fires are top of mind in San Diego County. Just last week, fueled by high winds, low humidity and dry brush, the region was beset with several brush fires that sent thousands scrambling to evacuate. The fires drew a robust regional response, and crews were able to keep most relatively small, although a Bonsall fire scorched about 85 acres and a fire on Otay Mountain exploded to more than 6,000 acres. Still, crews kept that fire in remote areas and out of the suburban Chula Vista neighborhoods it threatened.
The county is looking at buying a new twin-engine helicopter capable of flying at night, which would run about $18 million. The funding has a start: a $3.75 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service.
The county already has a new $15.7 million night-flying helicopter, a twin-engine aircraft it bought in 2023. The county owns other helicopters that can be used for firefighting in the day, but the twin-engine is necessary to meet the safety requirements for nighttime water drops.
But the board learned Tuesday that the new chopper still hasn’t been deployed on a fire for night-time airdrops. Mechanical issues shoulder some blame — the transmission of the brand new helicopter had to be pulled out, sent back to the maker and rebuilt from scratch, which took up to three months, sheriff’s Capt. Ted Greenawald said. There was also a problem with the tail rotor gearbox that needed to be shipped back to the factory.
In all, Greenawald said, it was down for maintenance for about eight months. “Anytime you have a brand new aircraft there is a break-in period, especially a newer model of an aircraft,” he said.
The county-owned helicopters are placed with the Sheriff’s Office and staffed by sheriff’s pilots, with a Cal Fire crew on board. It takes months of intense training so the sheriff’s pilots can learn to fly nighttime water-dropping missions.
“We actually planned on having our first water drops coming into last fire season,” Greenawald said of night-flying missions. “But because of the maintenance issue, we didn’t.”
As for buying additional water tenders, Mecham noted that most of the district depends on groundwater, making water tenders necessary.
The presentation highlighted the Genasys Protect app the region started using last year to coordinate evacuations. It allows officials to make more surgical decisions about which areas to evacuate and also to get that information immediately out to anyone who has the app.
Mecham also highlighted defensive measures employed in the region, including a roadside brush maintenance program that clears up to 20 feet along key evacuation roads. He said more than 800 miles of county and state roads have been treated since 2022. He also pointed to a $24 million program designed to help some backcountry residents harden their homes against wildfires.
As for the next steps, the board wants to hear from and work with several regional agencies, including San Diego County Water Authority, to assess several areas, such as water supply, reservoir management and regional communications.
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