The County-leased Superscoopers have returned to Canada after a tour of duty here last year that spanned from Sept. 13 to Dec. 14.
Leasing the air tankers and an air control plane during what usually is the height of our wildfire danger season was expensive, costing the county $3.2 million. However, we believe the extra measure of protection from the air prevented the loss of life and homes that we saw in 2003 and 2007.
The Superscooper teams worked three fires. The biggest was within a spark's flight from homes in Camp Pendleton and Oceanside.
Nearly 50,000 gallons of water were scooped up from the ocean, mixed instantly with fire retardant and then dumped on the fire. The efforts of firefighters on the ground and the Superscooper planes kept the 1,500-acre wildfire from reaching neighborhoods.
When Supervisor Ron Roberts and I pushed for increased fire protection, we weren't sure how the operational plan would work out. Looking back on the performance of the crews, even though the planes went to only three fires and had seven other calls cancel, I have no doubt the county made the proper decision.
When you consider that the 2003 Cedar Fire killed 14 people, destroyed 2,275 homes and 22 commercial buildings and caused more than $1 billion in damage, the $3.2 million for the Superscoopers was a good investment.
One of the reasons the horrific fires of 2003 and 2007 did so much damage was the delay in getting water and firefighters to the scene. With the Superscoopers, response time was significantly reduced, meaning fires no longer held the upper hand.
The Superscoopers were in the air for 38 hours and dropped nearly 250,000 gallons of water mixed with fire retardant. The base of operations was at the Ramona airport, but calls from Camp Pendleton, Valley Center, San Diego, San Miguel, Poway, Santee and El Cajon brought help from the air in minutes.
The Superscoopers provided 24/7 protection for cities and the unincorporated portions of San Diego County. However, because of budget cuts, what happens next is uncertain.
County codes require homeowners to create 100 feet of defensible space around houses. Even with that ordinance and the county's concentrated program of removing dead, diseased and dying trees, the amount of combustible shrubs and vegetation remaining in our region is alarming.
The county is thick with vegetation that hasn't burned in decades and could become fuel for new fires.
I hope that we can find a way to bring the Superscoopers back for an encore. The crew members and planes deserve a solid “A” for what they accomplished and what they prevented from happening last fall.
Leasing the air tankers and an air control plane during what usually is the height of our wildfire danger season was expensive, costing the county $3.2 million. However, we believe the extra measure of protection from the air prevented the loss of life and homes that we saw in 2003 and 2007.
The Superscooper teams worked three fires. The biggest was within a spark's flight from homes in Camp Pendleton and Oceanside.
Nearly 50,000 gallons of water were scooped up from the ocean, mixed instantly with fire retardant and then dumped on the fire. The efforts of firefighters on the ground and the Superscooper planes kept the 1,500-acre wildfire from reaching neighborhoods.
When Supervisor Ron Roberts and I pushed for increased fire protection, we weren't sure how the operational plan would work out. Looking back on the performance of the crews, even though the planes went to only three fires and had seven other calls cancel, I have no doubt the county made the proper decision.
When you consider that the 2003 Cedar Fire killed 14 people, destroyed 2,275 homes and 22 commercial buildings and caused more than $1 billion in damage, the $3.2 million for the Superscoopers was a good investment.
One of the reasons the horrific fires of 2003 and 2007 did so much damage was the delay in getting water and firefighters to the scene. With the Superscoopers, response time was significantly reduced, meaning fires no longer held the upper hand.
The Superscoopers were in the air for 38 hours and dropped nearly 250,000 gallons of water mixed with fire retardant. The base of operations was at the Ramona airport, but calls from Camp Pendleton, Valley Center, San Diego, San Miguel, Poway, Santee and El Cajon brought help from the air in minutes.
The Superscoopers provided 24/7 protection for cities and the unincorporated portions of San Diego County. However, because of budget cuts, what happens next is uncertain.
County codes require homeowners to create 100 feet of defensible space around houses. Even with that ordinance and the county's concentrated program of removing dead, diseased and dying trees, the amount of combustible shrubs and vegetation remaining in our region is alarming.
The county is thick with vegetation that hasn't burned in decades and could become fuel for new fires.
I hope that we can find a way to bring the Superscoopers back for an encore. The crew members and planes deserve a solid “A” for what they accomplished and what they prevented from happening last fall.