The following letter was addressed to fire chiefs in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties.
Living very near the source of the Malibu fire, I soon realized that had just one “Super Scooper” aircraft been used, this fire might have been out in minutes rather than almost two days. We are told that budgetary constraints caused the fire department(s) to return recently used “Super Scoopers” to their manufacturer in Canada.
After hearing that some 1,500 “on the ground” combined firefighters fighting the Malibu and Norco fires; plus pilots, helicopters, enforcement officers stopping traffic at intersections (or not allowing homeowners to go to their homes); long lines of snarled traffic backed up; and costly property damage, you had some pretty hefty costs to fight these two fires.
Multiply those costs against your annual county fires, and in short time, we could afford at least one “Super Scooper” to represent and defend our four counties against those fires.
I suggest and urge the four of you (and any additional county fire departments wishing to join you) to share the cost to lease with intent to purchase at least one “Super Scooper” aircraft. It should be based near any centrally located, convenient-to-reach water source, (such as the ocean) and a government operated (thus no parking fees) general aviation airport.
We are lucky and you are lucky that no homes or lives were lost! So come on, Chiefs. Let’s be ready for the next fires!
Jerry Jackson
Hats off to local crew
Malibu West would have surely suffered if it hadn’t been for our local firefighters. It all happened so unbelievably fast, with the mighty winds shifting minute to minute. These few courageous heroes worked victoriously to contain and control the flames. It was hand-to-hand combat as they leapfrogged up and down the canyons. Yes, hundreds of brave firefighters on the ground and in the sky arrived later. However, if it weren’t for the fast action and expertise of our local firefighters, the fire would have been completely out of control by the time the out-of-towners arrived.
Connie and Steve Held