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By Devoreo Bell
Photo: NIFC.gov
August 13, 2015 (Ramona)--Last week, East County Magazine reported on the United States Forest Service’s announcement that it will not allow its new air tanker firefighting planes to land at the Ramona Air Base. The USFS says the runway is not long enough. However Cal Fire provided a video showing a Cal Fire pilot landing the same type of plane in Ramona.
Now, all five of San Diego’s Congressional representatives (Duncan Hunter, Darrell Issa, Scott Peters, Juan Vargas and Susan Davis) have signed a letter sent to Chief Thomas Tidwell of the USFS asking him to take action.
County Supervisors are asking the Obama administration to intervene. Supervisors Dianne Jacob and Bill Horn have requested that at least one air tanker be allowed to operate out of Ramona during the county’s wildfire season.
The Forest Service’s more powerful next-gen air tankers are based at San Bernardino International Airport, where they land and reload with 3,000 gallons of fire retardant to aid with firefighting efforts across Southern California.
The Ramona Sentinel reports that Congressman Duncan Hunter’s letter states a next-gen tanker successfully used Ramona Airport during a fire event in 2013 with a payload of nearly 2,200 gallons. “By allowing these next-gen tankers to land and reload at Ramona, fire experts estimate that the aircraft can make eight additional runs per day — improving the capability to save lives and property,” Hunter’s letter adds.
Local residents are well aware of the importance of battling fires early, since our region has weathered two of the worst firestorms in California history, the 2003 Cedar Fire and the 2007 firestorms, both of which started right here in San Diego’s East County.
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