State Legislature Says Budget Is The Culprit

The North Carolina Division of Forest Resources has been directed to cut ten aircraft, four pilots, and two mechanics from its budget. The state legislature says it must also group aircraft closer together, and terminate leases on some of the hangars it now occupies.

By doing so, the division will avoid deeper cuts that were recommended by the state legislature's Program Evaluation Division.

Currently, the state of North Carolina has firefighting airplanes and crews dispersed throughout the state ready to respond to wildfires, but they are reportedly lightly used. 28 of the state's 38 firefighting aircraft reported flying fewer than 100 hours during FY2008-09.

A report released in April from the PED recommended divesting the state of 20 those aircraft, and relying more on private companies, agreements with other states, and the National Guard for firefighting.

The Wilmington, NC Star News reports that the state has the second-largest fleet of aircraft dedicated to fighting forest fires in the country, but stands 9th in the amount of forest land and 16th in the number of acres burned by forest fires in the past 3 years.

The budget prepared by the legislature anticipates sale of the aircraft will generate $1.5 million for the state coffers, and cutting the pilots and mechanics would save $470,000 every year. The division's aviation budget is reportedly $3.46 million.

The division responded to the report by saying that residential sprawl had placed many more homes at risk from wildfires, and that the ability to quickly respond to small fires prevented them from becoming major events ... which also limited the amount of flying time required.

FMI: www.dfr.state.nc.us, www.ncga.state.nc.us