San Diego County’s wildfire fighting capabilities have been greatly enhanced with the state’s 11th CalFire Helitack base being established in Ramona.
Monday’s grand reopening of the Ramona Air Attack base included a celebration that its $20 million major reconstruction is complete and a CalFire C-130 Hercules air tanker and a Sikorsky S-70 CalFire Hawk helicopter have arrived.
More than 200 attended the ceremony, including CalFire Director Joe Tyler, CalFire San Diego County Chief Tony Mecham and County Supervisors Joel Anderson and Terra Lawson-Remer.
“The Ramona Air Attack Base has long served as a cornerstone of aerial firefighting in San Diego County,” Mecham said. “With these upgrades now complete, the base is fully operational and positioned as a critical hub in CalFires expanding aviation program.”
CalFire San Diego County Chief Tony Mecham with the Sikorsky S-70 CalFire Hawk. (Regina Elling)
Mecham said the C-130H air tanker — the fourth fully converted of CalFires’ planned fleet of 11 — is known informally as the “fire killer.”
The huge planes have been retrofitted to carry up to 4,000 gallons of retardant.
John Perry, a CalFire firefighter for the past six seasons, is familiar with what it takes for those on the ground to keep the tankers moving.
Perry’s responsibilities include helping to park the planes and load them with retardant, as well as keeping time and activity records for each plane.
“It takes 10 minutes to load,” Perry said. “On a big fire, not only are our aircraft loading and returning, but there are often other aircraft from other bases coming through.”
With the back of the C-130H air tanker open, the container holding fire retardant is visible, as it takes up most of the space. Visitors to the Ramona Air Attack Base grand reopening on Monday were able to tour the aircraft and interview pilots and staff. (Regina Elling)
He said the aircraft can be anywhere in the county within 20 minutes.
The ground crews have to navigate numerous planes landing, loading and taking off, while avoiding spinning propellers and keeping the equipment prepared.
“It can be tense,” Perry said. “Day-to-day, we’re ready but it’s a little more relaxed. In a high-intensity situation, everyone is super focused.”
Perry said while many people pay attention to the role of the planes on hot, windy, dry days, they are making history every day.
“They are out there fighting fires all week, every week, and since many are small 5- to 10-acre fires, you don’t hear about them,” he said. “But the fact they are immediately put out means they didn’t get a chance to become bigger fires.”
The Sikorsky S-70 CalFire Hawk, the 11th operational helicopter in the fleet that cost $35 to $38 million, provides the ability to fly at night, provide rapid response times, has precision water-dropping capability and can transport firefighters directly to the front lines.
The Hawk was acquired at the end of May.
Ryan McCrory, a fire captain on the Sikorsky S-70 CalFire Hawk, said the copters can hold 1,000 gallons of water and have increased speed over previous copters. (Regina Elling)
Ryan McCrory, a fire captain on the Hawk, said the copters can hold 1,000 gallons of water, and have increased speed over previous copters in flying to dips.
He said the Hawk typically has a crew of 10, with each person having a distinct role.
The crew cabin position, for example, he said while pointing to their seat on the aircraft, “is inserted into the fire line, where they are making drops,” while the off suit position “calls distance from the water, clearances from the pond or lake, and instructions, such as if the pump is on or off.”
McCrory has been working with CalFire for the past 19 seasons.
“We have had a lot of training and simulations for operating the Hawk, and the support we receive, especially locally, is great,” he said.
Mecham said he previously flew in the back of the Hawk, and was impressed by the interactions of the crew with each other and with the base.
In addition to night-flying and water drops, the Hawk is capable of air rescue, acting as a sort of taxi for rapid troop shuttling with fire crews.
“The new night-flying helicopter could not have come at a more important time,” Lawson-Remer said. “Our days are getting hotter, our nights are getting warmer, the winds are stronger and fields are drier. Wildfire does not stop when the sun goes down.”
Anderson agreed, complimenting the abilities of the aircraft.
County Supervisor Joel Anderson with the C-130H air tanker in the background. (Regina Elling)
“We now have two night-flying helicopters in the county,” Anderson said. “The recent Thorn fire illustrates how quickly we were able to put it into commission, saving countless lives and houses.”
Mecham said CalFire buildings at the base were upgraded in 2000, but the infrastructure was not.
The $20 million capital improvement construction project included full demolition and reconstruction of the base’s aging tarmac and new underground fire-retardant reloading bays.
The upgrades, which began last August, were specifically designed to support the size, speed and increased retardant capacity of CalFire’s C-130H aircraft, while improving the operational efficiency and safety for aviation personnel.
The new retardant loading station is capable of loading 20,000 gallons of retardant.
“Where planes used to stack up on the runway and were filled one at time, they can now pull into three pits, similar to a gas station,” said Perry, adding six planes can be on the ramp at one time.
The redesign also allows larger aircraft to pull off the airport taxiway and reload directly, where pilots previously had to make an “awkward spin” before connecting to a hose.
Anderson repeatedly expressed his gratitude to CalFire and others for the new additions to the fleet.
“It’s always been one of my priorities to have these planes here, especially so after the devastating Cedar and Witch Creek fires,” he said.
Some of the controls involved in flying the Sikorsky S-70 CalFire Hawk, as seen from the left side of the cockpit. (Regina Elling)
Living in Alpine, Anderson has had to evacuate his home because of wildfire threats, and noted that CalFire, the county and the community learned from the fires and are much better prepared now than in the past.
Lenny Banker was also recognized at the ceremony. Banker was the first airtanker pilot at the Ramona Air Attack base when it was established in 1957, and has remained involved with the base for the past 69 years.
Future plans for the base include a 14-person barracks able to be manned for 24-hour operations. Work is anticipated to begin in the fall and be completed by next June.
CalFire also plans to expand the helipads for helicopter landings.
Mecham said he was especially appreciative of the role Ramona has played in supporting the base and fire personnel.
“The base staff feel like they are part of the community here, and feel like they have a lot of support,” Mecham said. “The community also feels like this is their base.”