Board of Supervisors Vote on Helitanker
Last updated 7/21/2016 at 9:36am
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tues. July 19, to negotiate terms with San Diego Gas & Electric over funding and usage of a Sikorsky S-64 helitanker.
With several wildfires having already broken out across the county, Brian Fennessy, the city of San Diego's fire chief, said the amount of water the helitanker can drop "cannot be overstated.", the helitanker will be a necessary piece of equipment with its payload of 2,600 gallons. The county originally agreed on using a helitanker, which SDG&E leases back in 2009, that contract has since expired.
According to preliminary terms, San Diego Gas & Electric would cover helitanker operation costs during the first two flight hours of any new fire, while the county would cover an additional two hours of flight which would equate to a contribution of approximately $150,000 each to the program.
