PRESS RELEASE
May 7, 2008

Slater-Price Supports Lease of Fire Planes
Board Approves $3 Million Deal to Lease Three "Superscoopers"

SAN DIEGO – Supervisor Pam Slater-Price and her colleagues on the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan recently to lease three firefighting aircraft for the coming wildfire season.

The one-time lease would bring two water bombers – Bombardier CL-415 Superscoopers - to the county for 90 days and a fire command plane for 150 days. The Superscoopers can be airborne in about five minutes, carry up to 1,620 gallons of water and fly for three hours before refueling. The planes take about 12 seconds to scoop water from a lake and infuse it with fire-resistant foam.

The lease will not be finalized until a committee of fire experts work out the operational details, such as which agency will have authority over the planes and where the planes will draw water.

The command plane would arrive Aug. 1, and the water bombers would arrive Sept. 1. The water bombers would be leased from the government of Quebec, Canada, which leases out the planes during the off season for fires.

Supervisors Ron Roberts and Bill Horn brought forward the proposal under a time crunch, saying the planes were often leased quickly during fire season by other governments. Roberts also heads the Regional Fire Protection Committee, which is set to bring forth a package of fire-fighting measures in June.

Supervisor Slater-Price supported the plan, but said: “I want to make it clear that I am voting for this measure as part of a fire-fighting package. Any and all proposals that come from the Chief Administrative Officer, the Regional Fire Protection Committee, or any of my colleagues on the board must complement this early response system.

“This combination of fixed wing aircraft and a spotter plan represent a strong early response,” she continued. “A good first punch is important in fighting fires.”

The supervisor also said she expected to see other agencies join in to help solve the regional wildfire protection concerns as more legislative proposals come forward.

“The county has been and will continue to do our share,” she said. “But we are not the deep pocket.”