San Diego County - Second Firefighting Twin-engine Helicopter - Coming Soon 2026
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2025 11:37 am
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - REGULAR MEETING AGENDA
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2025, 9:00 AM AND WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2025, 9:00 AM
COUNTY ADMINISTRATION CENTER, BOARD CHAMBER, ROOM 310 1600 PACIFIC HIGHWAY, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101
Public Safety 16.
16. SUBJECT: PURCHASE OF A TWIN-ENGINE HELICOPTER, NEW WATER
TENDERS, A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF FIRE SAFETY IN THE
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, AND WAIVER OF BOARD POLICY A-72
(DISTRICTS: ALL)
OVERVIEW
With an urgency underscored by the devastating fires in Los Angeles, today's action enhances
fire preparedness and strengthens firefighting capabilities through a multi-faceted approach
including:
Twin-engine firefighting helicopters that attacked fires both day and night, and mobile water
tenders that filled from various sources and deployed to the front lines were crucial to containing
the fires in Los Angeles. San Diego has an opportunity to better prepare and equip itself to
reduce and prevent the devastation for the immediate future.
https://file.sandiegocounty.gov/COB/COB ... d=39923506
Board of Supervisors' Meeting Agendas
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/ ... /bosa.html
Watch Board of Supervisors' Meetings
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/ ... video.html
Supervisor Desmonds Opiion from San Diego Union Tribune
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/20 ... tastrophe/
_________________________________________
January 29, 2025
County looking to buy second helicopter for night missions as it takes hard look at fire response
San Diego County also looking at buying more water tenders and wants to delve into wildfire preparedness across agencies
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
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.”
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/20 ... -response/
https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/20 ... re-fights/
https://patch.com/california/san-diego/ ... -equipment
https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local ... c8cfd9082b
San Diego County unanimously passes plan aimed at preparing for major wildfire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cLYkG0sRU0
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2025, 9:00 AM AND WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2025, 9:00 AM
COUNTY ADMINISTRATION CENTER, BOARD CHAMBER, ROOM 310 1600 PACIFIC HIGHWAY, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101
Public Safety 16.
16. SUBJECT: PURCHASE OF A TWIN-ENGINE HELICOPTER, NEW WATER
TENDERS, A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF FIRE SAFETY IN THE
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, AND WAIVER OF BOARD POLICY A-72
(DISTRICTS: ALL)
OVERVIEW
With an urgency underscored by the devastating fires in Los Angeles, today's action enhances
fire preparedness and strengthens firefighting capabilities through a multi-faceted approach
including:
Twin-engine firefighting helicopters that attacked fires both day and night, and mobile water
tenders that filled from various sources and deployed to the front lines were crucial to containing
the fires in Los Angeles. San Diego has an opportunity to better prepare and equip itself to
reduce and prevent the devastation for the immediate future.
https://file.sandiegocounty.gov/COB/COB ... d=39923506
Board of Supervisors' Meeting Agendas
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/ ... /bosa.html
Watch Board of Supervisors' Meetings
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/ ... video.html
Supervisor Desmonds Opiion from San Diego Union Tribune
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/20 ... tastrophe/
_________________________________________
January 29, 2025
County looking to buy second helicopter for night missions as it takes hard look at fire response
San Diego County also looking at buying more water tenders and wants to delve into wildfire preparedness across agencies
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
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.”
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/20 ... -response/
https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/20 ... re-fights/
https://patch.com/california/san-diego/ ... -equipment
https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local ... c8cfd9082b
San Diego County unanimously passes plan aimed at preparing for major wildfire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cLYkG0sRU0