DATE: January 13, 2004
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT: TEMPORARY FUNDING FOR THE SAN DIEGO REGIONAL FIRE AND RESCUE HELICOPTER PROGRAM
SUMMARY:
Overview
The October 2003 firestorms in San Diego County made painfully clear the need for maintaining year-round-dedicated aerial fire fighting capability in this region. On December 9, 2003 (7), at the request of Supervisor Roberts and Supervisor Horn, this Board directed the Chief Administrative Officer to investigate all aspects of acquiring a fire and life safety helicopter that would be available to respond to calls for service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association is directing a study from an aviation consultant to determine the class and number of helicopters needed and to outline preliminary acquisition and operating costs for a permanent helicopter program in the region. Finding a permanent helicopter solution has been identified as one of the primary areas of concern for the San Diego Regional Fire Prevention and Emergency Preparedness Task Force sanctioned by our Board of Supervisors at the request of Supervisor Greg Cox on December 2, 2003 (1).
Currently there is a multi-jurisdictional helicopter, the San Diego Regional Fire and Rescue Helicopter Program, that has been leased by the City of San Diego to provide fire and rescue capabilities to the San Diego region on a temporary basis. The City of San Diego has requested short-term financial support from all incorporated cities and the County of San Diego for the San Diego Regional Fire and Rescue Helicopter Program to address the immediate need for financial assistance and ensure that this critical emergency service is available to the region. Support for this measure would greatly serve the public by providing aerial fire fighting protection throughout the region until a long-term solution can be developed.
Recommendation(s)
SUPERVISOR GREG COX AND SUPERVISOR RON ROBERTS
- Direct the Chief Administrative Officer that the County’s support for the lease of the San Diego Regional Fire and Rescue Helicopter Program is urgently needed until a determination is made as to the acquisition of permanent aerial fire fighting capability for the region, no longer than six months.
- Allocate $218,490 to fund the County’s share of participation in the lease of the San Diego Regional Fire and Rescue Helicopter Program for six months from the Community Development Block Grant Housing Development Fund.
- Authorize the publication of any required “Notices to the Public of Requests for the Release of Funds” and; authorize the Director, Department of Housing and Community Development, to execute Requests For Release of Funds; and direct staff to transmit these requests to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development upon completion of any mandatory waiting period.
Fiscal Impact
The funds for this request are not currently budgeted. If this request is approved it will result in $218,490 in current year costs and should be allocated from available Community Development Block Grant funds.
BACKGROUND:
The October 2003 firestorms in San Diego County made painfully clear the need for maintaining year-round-dedicated aerial fire fighting capability in this region. On December 9, 2003 (7), at the request of Supervisor Roberts and Supervisor Horn, this Board directed the Chief Administrative Officer to investigate all aspects of acquiring a fire and life safety helicopter that would be available to respond to calls for service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association is directing a City of San Diego financed study from an aviation consultant to determine the class and number of helicopters needed and to outline preliminary acquisition and operating costs for a permanent helicopter program in the region. Finding a permanent helicopter solution has been identified as one of the primary areas of concern for the San Diego Regional Fire Prevention and Emergency Preparedness Task Force sanctioned by our Board of Supervisors at the request of Supervisor Greg Cox on December 2, 2003 (1).
Currently there is a multi-jurisdictional helicopter, the San Diego Regional Fire and Rescue Helicopter Program, that has been leased by the City of San Diego to provide fire and rescue capabilities to the San Diego region on a temporary basis. During a four-month pilot program that was partially funded by the County of San Diego between July and October 2003 the San Diego Regional Fire and Rescue Helicopter Program responded to 165 emergencies. Unfortunately, this helicopter was unavailable between October 22 and 27, 2003 as the Cedar and Paradise fires began, due to lack of funding.
The City of San Diego has requested short-term financial support from all incorporated cities and the County of San Diego for the San Diego Regional Fire and Rescue Helicopter Program to address the immediate need for financial assistance and ensure that this critical emergency service is available to the region until a permanent solution is found.
The method used to determine the apportionment of shares between the County and the region’s 18 cities is based on the formula used in the existing Unified San Diego Emergency Services Agreement for the Hazardous Incident Response Team Program. This formula is based on the combined factors of percent of total county Assessed Value and percent of total county population within each jurisdiction.
The County share for such a program for the period of January 1, 2004 through June 30, 2004 would be $36,415 per month, for a total cost of $218,490 for six months of participation. Acceptance of today’s recommendations would greatly serve the people of this region by providing aerial fire fighting protection throughout the region until a long-term solution can be developed. We urge your support for this measure!
Respectfully submitted,
GREG COX
Supervisor, District 1
RON ROBERTS
Supervisor, District 4