For the second year in a row, CAL FIRE is boosting its seasonal fleet across California — with more than $72 million provided by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration. The funding secures an additional 24 firefighting aircraft (19 helicopters and 5 planes) for a contracted period of 90-120 days. The Fullerton Observer reported that these aircraft are located in communities across the state and will be pre-positioned as needed.
“The deployment of more aircraft dedicated to the people of California marks a historic milestone, with the highest number of firefighting aircraft ever available for initial attack in the state for the second consecutive year,” said Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler. He said rainfall this year has resulted in increased fuels; last week alone, CAL FIRE responded to over 300 wildfires.
NEW HELICOPTERS: Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit Chief Brian Estes said that CAL FIRE’s new Fire Hawk is faster, with greater capacity, than the state’s aging 12 Super Huey helicopters, and the Hawks can also conduct night flight operations. According to a report by YubaNet.com in FY2022-2023 additional funding was approved to purchase four more S70i Fire Hawks to increase surge capacity and to maintain operational capabilities during mandatory maintenance cycles. The Fire Hawk can deliver up to 1000 gallons — or a 9-person helitack crew.
California’s aircraft are initially prepositioned in the following counties: Butte, Tuolumne, San Diego, Tulare, Humboldt, Mariposa, Nevada, Siskiyou, Sacramento, Fresno, Shasta, San Luis Obispo, Napa, Placer, Lassen, Riverside, and Sonoma.
The fixed-wing aircraft in the California fleet include three large airtankers that can carry up to 4,000 gallons. FireAviation reported last year that the U.S. Air Force was directed by Congress in December 2013 to perform maintenance on seven C-130H aircraft and convert them to airtankers. At that time the USAF was given $130 million for the project. Five years later in 2018 Congress appropriated an additional $20 million, bringing the total cost to $150 million. No recent estimates of totals were readily available.
The statewide fleet has grown to more than 60 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, according to the Chico Enterprise-Record, making CAL FIRE’s the largest civil aerial firefighting fleet in the world, including Grumman S-2T airtankers, Bell UH-1H Super Huey helicopters, Sikorsky S70i helicopters, and North American OV-10A (plus one D Model) Bronco Air Tactical aircraft. The aircraft are located at 14 airtanker bases, 10 helitack bases, and one CAL FIRE/San Diego County Sheriff helitack base.
On this holiday weekend, CAL FIRE reminds the public that the law strictly prohibits the use of drones in areas with fire activity. Drone operation can shut down aerial firefighting, endangers pilots and crew and firefighters, and poses major risks to lives, property and natural resources.
~ THANKS and a tip of the hat to Johnny.
5 Comments
When is too many aircraft too many aircraft? Sort of a strange statement? How many of these resources can continue to attack the fire after sunset (dark)? Eighteen augmented helicopter last year (drought) and twenty four aircraft this year (wet year)? Fixed wing; any VLAT’s (DC10 or 747). Every aircraft has its tactical capability and place on the fire line. Last year a threatening evolving wildfire was approaching Foresthill, Ca. It was stopped JUST short of the town by the only four VLATs in the country.(DC10). Of course other aircraft and fire fighters on the ground made a heroic effort in saving the town. Or another way to say it is do you use a 3/4 inch booster line on a lumber yard fire?
Like Johnny said, it wasn’t just the four DC-10s that saved Foresthill that day. Dozers and engine and hand crews had done a lot of work in preparing the east edge of town for the fire coming up out of the canyon as it was approaching its second week. Also, the rest of the air tankers never let up that day, as well as a Siller Bros.’ Sikorsky and a Billings’ CH-47. It took everybody to save the town but save it they did. Knowing that country like I do I was amazed. To my knowledge only one property with buildings burned that afternoon, and it was on the canyon side of the Foresthill Road just up the ridge from Worton’s Market, which was saved. It was quite a show and everyone that was there can take pride in the job they did.
Regarding too many aircraft, it’s better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.
BTW, Johnny’s also right about all four of the 10 Tanker DC-10s being there that afternoon. I watched the last one fly in from Montana on FlightRadar24 with plenty of time to make several drops out of McClellan before dark. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen all four on the same fire at the same time.
It was a day I’ll never forget.
I was aware that the 747 was put out to pasture. What I think was interesting is that as air tanker flying for four years and dropping millions of gallons of foam/retardant in five different countries,.it was a proven aerial resource, delivering 18,200 gallons per sortie. The Forest Service and Cal Fire didn’t want to pursue its productivity..Never in the history of aerial fire fighting has an aircraft been eliminated from the fire service after a short and successful tenure. .
I would respectfully disagree about the Global Super Tanker having a “successful tenure”, depending on your definition of successful. If its gallons dropped per sortie, yes. If its having been deployed internationally, somewhat. If its cost effectiveness, no. It was very expensive to maintain and logistically limited by which tanker bases could accommodate it and on which fires it could be effectively used, not just here, but in other countries as well. GST made a business decision based upon those realities, and it shouldn’t be the government’s job to subsidize a business just because they have the “sentimental favorite”.
Never has been governments’ job to to subsidize a business due to sentimental favorites. How about Government DOESN’T own any sort of airtanker whatsoever and ought to realize that it’s the vendor/contractor that is doing the Yeomans work.
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