San Diego County Officials Go to White House for Large Fire Tankers
County to U.S. Forest Service: "Give us one of these airplanes"
By Steven Luke and R. Stickney NBC-TV San Diego
County officials, frustrated over what was described as government bureaucracy, will petition the White House Tuesday to get involved in a regional fight over whether to station one of the government's largest firefighting aircraft in San Diego County.
In a rare move, the County Board of Supervisors will ask President Obama to force the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service to station one of its large firefighting air tankers in Ramona which houses a regional CalFire air attack base.
"Seconds count," said District 2 Supervisor Dianne Jacob. "Seconds in responding to a fire can mean the difference between life and death."
Jacob represents the largest district in San Diego County and one that suffered greatly in wildfires in 2003 and 2007. Her region covers from La Mesa and Poway to Jacumba and Santa Ysabel and includes the Ramona Air Attack Base.
Cal Fire already stations a pair of smaller S-2T airtankers there. However, the larger tankers contracted by the Forest Service can hold 3,000 gallons of fire retardant, two and a half times the amount of the S-2Ts.
Jacob said the county wants one of those tankers stationed here but the U.S. Forest Service has said the runway in Ramona is too short and doesn't have the load capacity to handle the heavier aircraft.
Because the base doesn't meet runway specifications, the U.S. Forest Service won't use Ramona for its next generation air tankers.
That argument took a hit recently however when a similar aircraft, used by Cal Fire, landed on the runway without any problems.
"So for the Forest Service to just say 'No, it doesn't work', they're wrong. It works. And it was demonstrated last week" said Jacob. "So, now what's their excuse? Give us one of these airplanes."
Jacob admits an appeal to the president is a rare move saying the last time she remembers doing it, President Bill Clinton was in office.
On Tuesday, the supervisors will meet to vote on the matter.
San Diego County owns three firefighting helicopters, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department has two firefighting helicopters and Cal Fire has helicopters and fixed wing aircraft based here in San Diego.
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