Additional Resources for Air Attack on Southern California Wildfires

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Additional Resources for Air Attack on Southern California Wildfires

10/23/2007 GAAS:844:07

Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Additional Resources for Air Attack on Southern California Wildfires

In coordination with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) and California National Guard (CNG), Governor Schwarzenegger has announced additional aircraft resources available to fight the devastating Southern California wildfires.

“These fires are causing terrible and tragic devastation in our state, but we are responding and we will not stop until everyone is safe,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I will continue to be relentless in getting additional resources and everything our firefighters need to fight these wildfires. We are working around the clock and deploying every possible resource in cooperation with federal, state and local governments.”

The additional aerial resources that have been made available to support the firefighting efforts are:

6 CNG helicopters
2 additional air tankers for a total of 27
2 U.S. Navy helicopters from San Diego on standby
2 Nevada National Guard helicopters
2 DC-7s from Oregon
1 Martin Mars 7,000 gallon water dropping aircraft from Canada

The following aerial resources are currently being used to fight the wildfires:

24 air attack aircrafts
25 air tankers
40 helicopters
1 DC-10

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Wednesday, October 24, 2007