San Diego Leases Water-Dropping Copter

Amid public criticism over the city’s response to wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes, Mayor Dick Murphy said Thursday that the city has leased a water-dropping helicopter.

The San Diego Fire Department did not have any fire helicopters Oct. 26 when the Cedar fire roared into the city, a fact that has come to symbolize what many residents consider the poor preparation and clumsy response by local fire agencies. Because of budget problems, the city let its four-month lease on a firefighting helicopter lapse days before the fire hit.

Murphy said the new lease will cost San Diego $230,000 a month but he believes the investment is worth it.

“It’s not cheap,” Murphy said. “I hate to go into city reserves to do that ... but we thought we need to have it up and operating.”

Murphy, who along with other city leaders has come under scrutiny for the way the city handled the fires, also said the city has launched a top-to-bottom review of the Fire Department budget.

“We have to examine everything in light of the fire,” he said. “I don’t disagree that this city has underfunded fire [protection]. It’s clear that the city of San Diego needs better equipment for its firefighters.”

The Cedar fire, which was allegedly started by a lost hunter in the San Diego County backcountry, blackened 230,000 acres and destroyed 2,200 homes, including 350 homes within the city limits. An inability to get fire helicopters in the air has emerged as a major issue as officials examine the way the fire spread.

Helicopter pilots for the Sheriff’s Department were ready to dump water on the fire within minutes of it being spotted but were denied permission by the U.S. Forest Service because of approaching darkness.

The next day, Navy helicopter pilots flew to Ramona Airport in the middle of the fire zone but were told by the California Department of Forestry that they lacked state-approved training to fight the spreading Cedar and Paradise fires.

Along with renting a helicopter, Murphy also announced that the city is negotiating with the Navy and Marine Corps so that their helicopters can be pressed into service during an emergency. Both services have pilots trained to fight fires on military property such as the San Clemente Island gunnery range.

Murphy may draw two opponents in the March primary who plan to make fire protection a major issue. Port Commissioner Peter Q. Davis has announced his candidacy and county Supervisor Ron Roberts is considering whether to run.

“We’re terribly undermanned in police and firefighters,” Davis said. “The council has gotten away from public safety as the top priority. They’re into pork barrel projects that help their political careers.”

Murphy continued to praise the efforts of firefighters.

“I say to the people of San Diego: Look, we are all saddened by the homes we lost but I think we have to look at the positives, such as the thousands of homes we saved and the fact no lives were lost,” he said.

One problem facing the city is that because of a long tradition of tight budgets, the city has fallen significantly behind other big city departments when it comes to fire staffing. With 900 firefighters, the department is nearly 40% below average for major cities.

In 25 years, the city’s population has grown 47% but the number of fire companies has increased 15%. Many of the department’s vehicles are beyond retirement age, hand-held radios are in short supply, and other equipment is considered inadequate for a fire that erupts on multiple fronts.

Murphy noted that even with the $30-million budget deficit, the city this year added fire engines. But the Cedar fire quickly outstripped the Fire Department’s resources and staffing, officials said.

“We added three fire apparatus [during the budget hearings],” Murphy said. “We could have added a dozen and it wouldn’t have helped.”

The Fire Department’s problems are no secret and are part of the annual discussion of the proposed budget. A generation ago, the fire chief at the time complained that the city was playing Russian roulette by not having enough resources to fight brush fires in fast-growing neighborhoods like Scripps Ranch.

“No one is disputing the fact that there are a number of resources that are short in San Diego,” Assistant Fire Chief August Ghio said as he stood beside Murphy. “This is not an overnight problem.”

The review of the Fire Department budget will be handled by the assistant city manager who oversees the department. Murphy noted that Lamont Ewell has expertise in reviewing fire budgets after a major blaze: he was chief of the Oakland Fire Department when the 1991 fire destroyed or seriously damaged 3,400 houses, apartments and condominiums.

Ewell said it could take years for the city to accumulate adequate fire protection resources. “We know we have a long way to go,” he said.

Also Thursday, a task force led by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said it had determined that a fire that began Oct. 25 near Crestline was caused by the heat from the undercarriage of a car driven off-road.

The Playground fire, as it was named, eventually merged with the massive Old fire. The investigation into the Playground fire is ongoing.