City's Two Aircraft Can Fight Fires At Night Outside The City Limits

The City of San Diego has authorized the use of its two firefighting helicopters at night outside the city limits.

The agreement calls for the City of San Diego's two firefighting and rescue helicopters with night-flying capability to be available for nighttime water drops and rescues in the county’s 17 other cities and unincorporated areas. These helicopters are the only air resources in the region capable of providing night fire-fighting operations.

“The new City-County partnership to extend night flights to all corners of our region is great news for residents and builds on our efforts to bolster fire protection,” Chairwoman Jacob said of the agreement. “Wildfire is a year-round threat in San Diego County, from our cities to our backcountry, so I want to thank Mayor Faulconer for his leadership on this critical issue.”

Under the agreement, the City will respond to requests from other local agencies to provide nighttime helicopter flights in support of wildfire and emergency medical rescue operations to the extent its helicopters are operationally available. The County will then reimburse the City for its flight and staffing costs.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer said in a statement that "When a wildfire comes, we have to be focused on results and saving lives, not jurisdictional boundaries drawn on a map. That's why the city and county are embarking on a new level of cooperation to make sure our region is as prepared as possible for whatever comes our way."

The night-flying agreement has been in effect since Dec. 1 and expires June 30, 2016, with five one-year optional extensions to be mutually agreed upon by both the City and County. The use of the City’s Bell 212 and Bell 412EP helicopters will be reimbursed at a rate of $3,721 and $5,027, respectively, per flight hour.

(Image provided by San Diego County)

FMI: www.sandiegocounty.gov, www.sandiego.gov