All CAL FIRE helicopters are flown by CAL FIRE pilots. DynCorp provides airtanker and airtactical aircraft pilot services, and all aircraft maintenance services. A total of 18 CAL FIRE personnel oversee the program with an additional 130 contract employees providing mechanical, pilot and management services.ĬAL FIRE's current support contractors are DynCorp and Logistics Specialties Incorporated (LSI). The average annual budget of the CAL FIRE Aviation Management Program is nearly $20 million. While both air tankers and helicopters are equipped to carry fire retardant or water, the helicopters can also transport firefighters, equipment and injured personnel. The retardant used to slow or retard the spread of a fire is a slurry mix consisting of a chemical salt compound, water, clay or a gum-thickening agent, and a coloring agent. The airtactical planes fly overhead at a fire, directing the airtankers and helicopters to critical areas of the fire for retardant and water drops. During high fire activity, CAL FIRE may move aircraft to better provide statewide air support. These aircraft are stationed at 14 airtanker and 11 (10 CAL FIRE, 1 joint CAL FIRE/ San Diego County Sheriff) helitack bases located statewide, and can reach most fires within 20 minutes. It is in the process of adding 7 C-130H 4,000 gallon airtankers. In support of its ground forces, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) emergency response air program includes 23 Grumman S-2T 1,200 gallon airtankers, 12 UH-1H Super Huey helicopters, and 16 OV-10A airtactical aircraft. The Aviation Management Program is based at McClellan Airfield near Sacramento, California. Due to the frequency and severity of wildfires in California, the state has elected to establish its own aerial firefighting force rather than rely solely on national resources. The CAL FIRE Aviation Management Program is a branch of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (known also as CAL FIRE). JSTOR ( November 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "CDF Aviation Management Program" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. But concerns about flare-ups and new blazes breaking out lent urgency to getting the air attack planes cleared to fly again.This article needs additional citations for verification. McLean said air tankers are not currently necessary for battling the Jerusalem fire in Lake County or for other blazes around the state. It’s critical these aircraft get back in the air,” McLean said.Īir attack planes - often referred to as Cal Fire’s “eyes in the sky” - are used by crews to manage aerial assaults on fires and direct air tanker pilots where to unload payloads of retardant. The plane in question was based in Southern California, McLean said. He said mechanics had been dispatched to check on all of the fleet. Cal Fire grounded a fleet of planes Monday that help direct other aircraft where to dump retardant on wildland blazes, as a record-breaking heat wave across California continues to keep firefighters busy and fuels fears of new fires breaking out.Ĭal Fire ordered its fleet of 15 OV-10 A Broncos not to fly Monday after a propeller on one of the planes failed while the aircraft was still on the ground, according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Scott McLean.
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