I've just heard units from Peterson AFB down in the 'Springs' are on their way
as their aircraft are fitted with fire suppression systems. Also a group out
of Wyoming are scheduled for a similar assist.
Kevin
RMVR
----- Original Message -----
From: David W. Riddle<mailto:dave@microworks.net>
To: fot@autox.team.net<mailto:fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 11:56 AM
Subject: Re: [Fot] Fire storms
My Dad (retired Army Aviator) works at Camp Pendleton and my Uncle
Larry (retired first career as an Air Force C-141 Crew Chief)
recently retired for the second time from Scripps Institute of
Oceanography as their Climatologist. Here is a note that Larry just
sent out to family about the status in San Diego.
Interesting note about the Fire "departments" stonewalling Military help.
My Cousin Joe is a Fire Fighter over there and a step brother here in
AZ is a fire fighter - both with a local City and with the National
Guard (scheduled to go to Iraq in the Spring)
----------------------------
Everyone appears to be OK here in San Diego. So far, the fires do
not appear to be threatening to either Don's apartment in the North
Park area (I'm not sure of its exact geographic nomenclature) or our
house here in Clairemont. I am told that Lori (and Erin?) were
successfully evacuated, with animals, to El Cajon yesterday. We have
not spoken with her directly.
We're not sure where Joe is right now, but CALFire usually has his
crew stay on duty in Temecula to provide fire suppression there while
other Temecula fire fighting assets (also known as Riverside County
Fire Dept and California Fire (CALFire)) are sent out of town for
mutual aid. I don't know if this is his current status. In any
case, Temecula does not appear to be threatened at this time.
The governor has approved the use of military helicopters to assist
in the fire suppression effort. This is required by state
law. During the Cedars fire (four years ago), then Gov Gray Davis
refused to let them assist. However, the local fire agencies are
still trying to limit their impact. The military crews are ready to
take off, but the local fire officials won't let them. They say they
can't fly without a local fire fighter on board as an observer to
coordinate drops. And they are "trying to locate" fire fighters for this
role.
Of course, the National Guard, Marine Corps, and the Navy all insist
the choppers already have an qualified observer on board. They are
called crew chiefs. And they are trained to coordinate all kinds of
air drops. They do it all the time in training, in Iraq, and in
Afghanistan. Not good enough, according to the fire
officials. Speculation is that this has everything to do with union
politics and little to do with reality.
All of the military's fire fighting C-130s (all National Guard, I
believe) are on their way to Southern California. They were in
mission preplanning well before their use was authorized. The
general in charge of them (at the National Guard Bureau?) stated
that, if authorization was not received by the time the were ready to
take off, that he had already scheduled a "training flight" for them
that would take them to SoCal. Military can-do.
Most of the other federal fire fighting aircraft are either here or
on their way. The news says there are about 14 aircraft (fixed wing
and rotor wing) currently making drops.
More later.
Larry
-------------------------------------
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