PRESS RELEASE
June 11, 2008

County Purchases Eight New Fire Engines
Slater-Price Applauds Efforts to Continue Arming Backcountry for Fire Protection

SAN DIEGO – The County Board of Supervisors, including Supervisor Pam Slater-Price, approved the purchase of eight new fire engines which will be assigned to backcountry volunteer fire agencies most in need of modern fire equipment.

The new engines, bought by the County through its County Fire Enhancement Program, cost $3 million and were paid for using money from the County’s General Fund and Community Development Block Grant funds.

The four-wheel drive fire engines will replace an aging fire fleet, and provide agencies reliable vehicles they can use for structural and wild land fire protection, as well as medical aid calls and traffic accidents.

Engines will go to the Julian Fire Protection District, Ocotillo Wells Volunteer Fire Company, Rural Fire Protection District, Ranchita Volunteer Fire Company, and Shelter Valley Volunteer Fire Company. The eighth, a County reserve engine, will be used by CalFire in Warner Springs.

Supervisor Slater-Price called the purchases a “necessity.” She also said the new engines will nicely complement the three fire-fighting planes the supervisors agreed to lease for about $3 million during the upcoming fire season.

“Of all the concerns facing this county, none is greater than the risk of wildfires,” Slater-Price said. “The county is up to the challenge of dealing with this problem head-on with a more concerted effort to protect our homes and lives against this public safety risk.”

In May, the supervisors approved a one-time lease to 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.