A plan to lobby the federal government to allow the U.S. Forest Service‘s newest firefighting aircraft to operate at the Ramona Airport is scheduled to go before the San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
The BAe-146 next-generation aerial tankers are based in San Bernardino. Supervisors Bill Horn and Dianne Jacob said that means it takes a long time for the aircraft to reach wildfires in the San Diego region.
According to Horn and Jacob, Ramona already has infrastructure to supply retardant and fuel to the aircraft because it’s a major base for Cal Fire aircraft. The runways are long enough and strong enough to accommodate the new planes, the two supervisors wrote.
The federal agency disagrees, according to Jacob.
The supervisors said the aircraft don’t need to be based in Ramona, just authorized to take off and land at the airfield in the San Diego County foothills, which fire experts said would allow for each tanker to make eight additional drops per day on fires in the region.
Their proposal is for staff to compose a letter urging President Barack Obama to take the steps necessary to allow the tankers to use the Ramona Airport, and provide copies to the Forest Service and local congressional delegation, among others.
— City News Service
