EL CAJON, Calif. — Agencies around San Diego County came together Friday to showcase their aerial firefighting strength for National Aviation Week, touting inter-agency coordination for effective wildfire responses.
“Just the adrenaline and the excitement of seeing the flames and the smoke, there’s nothing that replaces it,” said pilot William Liniewicz with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. “The satisfaction that comes with seeing the big flame ahead of you and getting to put the water on it and seeing it out is gratifying.”
Cal Fire, San Diego Fire-Rescue, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Department of Forestry, SDG&E, and other partnering agencies gathered at Gillespie Field to highlight some of their firefighting aircraft used to knock down wildfires.
“We’ll sit in the front of the helicopter here as the captains, and we’ll assist the pilot with helicopter tactics, water-dropping tactics,” said Eric Maguire, Fire Captain with San Diego Helitack, while pointing to the Sheriff’s Department helicopter on the tarmac at Gillespie Field.
“A lot of communications happening up front. Not only are we talking to other aircraft, we’re talking to airport towers, we’re also talking to ground crews,” said Maguire while showing CBS 8 the fire chopper’s cockpit. “While that’s all going on, the pilot’s got to be controlling the aircraft and paying attention to all his gauges here.”
A giant Erickson Aircrane is one of SDG&E’s firefighting tools, and it can hold massive amounts of water. It was deployed 400 times last year.
“It can bring 2,650 gallons of water or fire retardant to a scene rapidly, and then go back and refill within 45 seconds and then be right back on that fire,” said Kevin Geraghty, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Safety Officer for SDG&E.
For him, it’s reassuring to know we have not only these kinds of aircraft ready at a moment’s notice but also the men and women willing to put their lives on the line.
“You see the men and women that commit their lives to do something that most people would never want to do, #1 just get in a helicopter, but then #2 fly to a fire,” said Geraghty.
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