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INTRODUCTION:
On October 6, 2000, a Project Team was formed at the direction of Fire Chief Rick Martinez, to look at the feasibility of developing a Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Firefighting Helicopter Program. The Project Team members are: · Assistant Chief Dennis Plessas The members of the Project Team were chosen due to their familiarity with the subject matter and knowledge of the District. Direction was given to the Project Team to look at all aspects associated with a helicopter program and forward a recommendation to the Fire Chief. The following are the specific objectives tasked by the Fire Chief: 1. Complete a hazard analysis review and needs assessment of the
District. APPROACH: The Project Team assessed the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District area for the purpose of conducting a formal hazard analysis. This assessment also included a review of the County of Sacramento and lastly, the Region. Details of the hazard assessment are contained in the body of this report. The Project Team reviewed several current air operations programs. The specific area of review included: · Program development These agencies were selected because of their successful experience in fire and rescue helicopter operations. Two fire department aviation experts came to Sacramento at our request with the goal of assisting the Project Team with the District Hazard Assessment. Our first expert is Mr. Paul Shakstad, a firefighter and Chief Pilot with the City of Los Angles Fire Department. Mr. Shakstad has over 30 years of firefighting experience, including 24 years in Air Operations Bureau. His experience includes, brush and high-rise fires, swift water rescue, hoist rescues, earthquakes and EMS missions. Our second expert is Mr. David Ward who is a Deputy Fire Chief with the Kern County Fire Department and has management responsibilities for the Kern County Fire Department Air Operations Program. Deputy Chief Ward has over 20 years experience in the fire service including experience as Air Tactics Group Supervisor, and as Operation Section Chief of the California Incident Management Team. Both evaluations and recommendations can be found in Attachment #1 of this Report. HAZARD ANALYSIS AND NEEDS ASSESSMENT: BRUSH FIRES: Frequently, our District is faced with significant fires that include urban interface challenges, as well as typical brush fires, in and along the entire American River Parkway. Often homes in these communities have combustible wood shake roofs, sidings, and decks, which increase the volatility of fires. In 1992, the Governor of California signed Assembly Bill 337 into law. This law requires the use of specific legislation guidelines to identify areas within the state where conditions exist that increase the potential to experience a major fire loss, such as the "Oakland Hills Firestorm". These areas were to be designated as "Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones" (VHFHSZ). This legislation gave direction to ALL fire agencies in the State of California to identify VHFHSZ areas within their own jurisdictions on or before January 1, 1996. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection developed a "Point" system to grade these areas. In the fall of 1995, the American River and the Sacramento County Fire Districts completed their required assessments and identified a substantial area that met the criteria to become a VHFHSZ. The specific areas included the American River Parkway and nearby neighborhoods from Ancil Hoffman Park to Negro Bar State Park (The American River to as far North as Madison Ave. in specific areas.) See Attachment #2 (map). (Supplementary documentation is available for review.) Every year wildfires break out across our state leaving total destruction in their wake. For example; 1991 Oakland Hills Fire: In 1993, there were 20 major fires in California burning at the same time. Some of the most identifiable were: Laguna Fire Orange County: Topanga Fire Los Angeles County: Three years later, on October 22, 1996, another fire started in the same area as the "Topanga Fire". Calabasas Fire- Los Angeles County: Significant Fires Within Our District Include: FIRE SEASON 2001: Canyons, parkways, greenbelts and nature areas often present access
problems for firefighters. Studies and experience has shown, helicopters
are most useful in the first 15-30 minutes of a wild-land firefight and
can drop water on the head of the fire to slow the spread until ground
units arrive. Also on exposures to contain the spread of fire, provide a
transport for equipment and personnel, or overhead command and control.
The primary objective of an Air Operations program is to provide an
"Initial Attack" on the fire and "keep the small fires
small." According to the California Department of Forestry, they have
a goal to keep 95% of their vegetation fires to 20 acres or less. The vast
majority of initial attack dispatches includes helicopters. HIGH-RISE FIRES: The history of high-rise fires includes some significant incidents that caused the fire service to re-evaluate its firefighting operations. For example: · South America in 1973 and 1974. Buildings burned, occupants jumped
to their deaths. In all these examples, helicopters were used to rescue trapped people, move firefighters, and deploy equipment to the roof. Even though stricter building codes have made the possibility of a major fire in a sprinkled high-rise less likely, older, un-sprinklered buildings, and fires that start in un-sprinklered portions of high-rise and low-rise buildings will challenge the best firefighting effort. Metro Fire's District has over 23 buildings that exceed four (4) stories. FLOODS: The Sacramento area has a long history of flooding. The most recent
examples are discussed below. Even with continued efforts to increase
flood protection, the Cosumnes River will continue to be uncontrolled
without any flood control measures. Recent examples include: In 1997 the Office of Emergency Service pre-deployed a contingent of 17
UH-60 US Army Blackhawk helicopters to Sacramento from Southern
California. These aircraft were only available after a lengthy planning
process and Governors order that resulted in close coordination through
the California National Guard and OES. When the unplanned flooding
occurred in Southern Sacramento County, the National Guard Blackhawks were
reassigned to our area and made several hoist rescues. According to OES,
as of January 8, 1997: While those resources were effective, our Fire Department Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) requested the use of a helicopter for initial
observation, command and control, and potential rescues in our District.
However none were available (government or lease/rent). Air Operations will allow the District in the event of a major flood, domestic terrorism, earthquake, or other similar events to move and operate freely without being dependent upon our road network. Major freeways, numerous overpasses, and rivers divide our communities. With the proper helicopter, Metro Fire would have the capabilities of accomplishing the following missions without being dependent upon normal transportation methods: · Firefighting EARTHQUAKES: Sacramento is located less than twenty miles from a major seismic fault. Earthquakes are as much a part of California's natural disaster heritage as wildfires. In earthquakes, major damage is inflicted to the community's infrastructure including freeways, bridges, water and gas mains, power lines, buildings, including malls, schools, apartments and hospitals. Sacramento has experienced minor earthquakes, however we have the potential for greater seismic events. Northridge Earthquake-Los Angeles, California, January 17, 1994 Loma Prieta Earthquake- San Francisco, California, October 17, 1989 HISTORY OF FIREFIGHTING HELICOPTERS: Helicopters were first utilized for firefighting in Ontario, Canada in June 1946. Their use was closely examined and in 1957 the Los Angeles County Fire Department acquired a small helicopter (Bell47) donated by the LA County Sheriff's Department. Their initial missions were to provide a water delivery method (including hose and equipment) to metropolitan areas in their District. The 1st recorded helicopter rescue was achieved using a large helicopter (Sikorsky H23) on September 29, 1945. Since then, many firefighting helicopter programs have been developed. The following agencies currently operate a firefighting helicopter program: · Los Angeles County Fire Department, California Programs in Development: OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES: Helicopter missions vary with the organizational mission and
objectives. Metro Fire's objectives should include: FIREFIGHTING HELICOPTER PROGRAM ESSENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS: · Pilots & Crews Pilots and Crews: Crewmembers; Hanger/Parking: Maintenance: Fuel: Insurance: Spare Parts/Supplies: Base of Operations: ANALYSIS: There are no dedicated private or Government agency operated helicopters in the Sacramento area that have the capabilities to satisfy our mission requirements. The California Department of Forestry has their helicopter maintenance facility at Mather field. However, CDF does not staff in-service helicopters at that facility. Their 9 operational helicopters are pre-deployed throughout the state for initial attack. The closest CDF Helicopter to Sacramento is at Base Line Camp near Sonora California. The next closest helicopter is at Vina Station, near Chico. The United States Forest Service (USFS) operates leased helicopters during the fire season. The closest helicopter to Sacramento is at the Big Hill Heli-base near Ice House Reservoir in El Dorado County. However, they are a National resource and are tasked to fight fires throughout the United States. Private helicopters can be a viable resource, which the District should continue to evaluate and to augment our own resource. The limitations associated with leasing or renting a private aircraft on a "call-when-needed" basis is: · Not always available (when needed) Relying on another Government Agency to provide us with a helicopter is not unlike relying on a private helicopter company. The same problems would occur. On several occasions in the past, a helicopter was needed by SMFD and we were unable to fill the request. Renting or leasing helicopters on a "call when needed" basis
is expensive. A light helicopter (Bell 206 Jet Ranger) with limited
firefighting capability is $600.00 per flight hour. A medium helicopter
fully capable of fulfilling our mission objectives ranges from $1,300.00 a
flight hour (Bell UH1-B) to $1,800.00 a flight hour (Bell 212). As a
result, there is a reluctance to call for air support early in an incident
when the use would be most effective. Instead, we find ourselves calling
for help after an incident is well 'out of control' or threating exposed
structures. OWNERSHIP VS. NON OWNERSHIP: Key Points: AVAILABILITY: Availability is very important to the successful application of air
assets. It is difficult to predict when a helicopter will be needed. Our
dependency upon a private operator or other government agencies has proven
to be ineffective. After calling for a helicopter for a large brush fire at Aerojet (June of 1994) the private contractor took over an hour and a half for the helicopter to arrive. Many additional limitations significantly hampered its effectiveness. On September 2, 2001, a brushfire in the City of Sacramento along the American River rapidly increased beyond the initial fire attack. The incident commander requested the use of a helicopter early in the incident; however, it took over one hour and thirty minutes for the first helicopter from CDF and USFS to arrive. OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS: Renting (utilizing) a Helicopter on a Call When Needed (CWN) basis has severed limitation. Metro Fire's mission is to provide appropriate levels of response in emergency situations, to reduce loss of life and property damage due to fire, medical, and other emergencies. Crews that work and train together are more effective than those that we would call upon only when needed. Aircraft, much like any piece of fire apparatus is more effective and safer when it is part of a planned program that is incorporated into our standard operating procedure. Our recent experience has shown that CWN or renting has severe limitations. Those limitations include: · A lack of proper communications equipment Access to FEPP (Federal Excess Personal Property) equipment and parts: DISTRICT HELICOPTER STUDY: · The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District continued this study through the limited use of leasing/renting a helicopter when unusual conditions warranted. This phase of the study began on June 13th and continued through August 30, 2001. (Supplementary documentation is available for review.) The objective for the study was: Additional objectives in response to the terrorist incident in New York
and Washington D.C were: During our study, the firefighting helicopter responded to: (As of October 24, 2001) LESSONS LEARNED: · Initial attack response times can be reduced. · We responded from Rancho Murieta to Elverta in 11 minutes. · Rented/Leased aircraft have limitations. · You can see where the fire is and where it is going. · Our community has a significant wild land interface problem. · Roadway access is limited in many areas. · Adequate above ground water sources. OPTIONS: · District Owned Aircraft Federal Law prohibits the use of Military aircraft outside of a declared State of Emergency. The military has a "no competition clause". SUMMARY: We have made the determination that a Metro Fire Air Operations unit is needed. This program makes an important public safety statement to the residents of our District. The effective use of aerial firefighting equipment has been demonstrated time and time again, as the most cost efficient and productive weapon against the destructive spread of wild land fires, thus minimizing loss of property and life and reducing the need for firefighters to combat fires over a long period of time. This is particularly critical in the areas of "urban interface" - where pockets of residential and commercial development are located in primarily rural areas and the potential for loss of life and property is greater that in urban areas where emergency response personnel are more readily available. Remote, hard to reach locations can effectively be protected with the use of aerial firefighting equipment. The firefighting helicopter is an essential component of the total resources needed to suppress wildland fires and to respond to other emergency incidents, such as natural and man-made threats to our community. With a growing number of people moving into rural areas and the subsequent increase in fire loss potential, more and different types of fire protection methods are necessary. The concept of the closest station being able to handle an emergency in the urban interface is not always applicable. Fire station personnel alone, spread out over large geographical response areas, simply cannot make the quick, aggressive attack that is needed to suppress a fast-moving brush fire which threatens homes and their residents. This fact has been repeatedly demonstrated by the devastating fire disasters in California's rural areas with urban interface development like that in Sacramento County. For the sake of comparison, a firefighting helicopter is similar to a fire engine in that it transports and supports a firefighting crew, which provides immediate fire suppression - potentially in the form of helitack crew, constructing fire lines. The helicopter then provides aerial support with water/foam drops. Close ground support of the fire engines and hand crews, structure protection, holding actions and wet line construction can be provided in a moments notice. Support operations, such as reconnaissance and mapping, crew shuttles, cargo delivery and in an emergency, transport injured firefighters; all can be accomplished throughout the course of the fire as needed. A firefighting helicopter performs a number of different critical fire suppression tasks, described as follows: · A helicopter provides the safest, quickest and, most effective early attack on wildland fires, thus minimizing property loss and potentially reducing the need for the allocation of other resources, including dozers, additional grass units and personnel. This is the primary function of the helicopter, and the biggest advantage it provides is by limiting property losses through early confinement of the fire area. Additionally, early extinguishment of a fire with a helicopter means that equipment and personnel that would have otherwise been assigned to the fire can continue to provide protection to other parts of the District. · A helicopter provides fast and efficient transportation of water/foam to fires. The helicopter proposed in this report would have the capacity to deliver 375 gallons of water with each drop or transport up-to 9 firefighters with equipment. · Emergency response personnel may also be transported to all types of incidents, including fires, natural disasters (floods, earthquakes), Urban Search and Rescue deployments and terrorist related incidents. · The helicopter provides the vital quick response to large fires (both structural and wildland) in outlying areas, thus reducing the response time which otherwise would be required for engines and firefighters to travel long distances over highways. · Helicopters can provide the initial, essential visual reconnaissance to fire command personnel on the ground to assist in incident management. This provides the incident commander with the ability to visualize (through the crews eyes) the entire fire for planning short and long-range strategy, and for mapping the fire to determine its progress and direction. · The helicopter can also provide emergency transportation to critical patients to the hospital when the local EMS helicopter providers are not available. The extreme effectiveness of helicopters in limiting property damage through quick and early containment is paramount. Firefighting Helicopters will successfully prevent the spread of fires into residential areas where lives, as well as property, can be threatened. Helicopters are also used in every disaster imaginable to assist rescue personnel, move supplies and equipment into areas and move victims to safety. Every agency that has an established helicopter program has maintained that program as a vital part of their fire and rescue operation.
A firefighting helicopter program would provide the residents of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, particularly those in the urban interface areas, with the most effective means of initial brush fire suppression. Protection of our wildland resources would also benefit similarly. Throughout the state, whether fire protection is provided locally or by State resources, the firefighting helicopter has become an indispensable resource. Experience has shown that without an active helicopter program to support land based fire crews, destruction from fires is much more widespread and the cost of suppression are greater. Without question, the benefits of a firefighting helicopter program have been well documented time and time again, both from a public safety standpoint, as well as in terms of cost avoidance. Population growth and distribution are such that Sacramento Metro Fire must address the question of how best to provide fire suppression to our growing urban interface and outlying areas. Budget constraints will continue to limit our ability to construct and staff new fire stations throughout the District. The helicopter provides, faster, and less expensive method to provide services to Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District residents. Our citizens have traditional demand that public safety is one of the top priorities of government, and the Board of Directors has allocated budget resources in the best way possible to meet that expectation. We are also constantly challenged to examine our current operating methods and where appropriate, redefine our service delivery system. Implementation of a firefighting helicopter program fulfills that challenge. RECOMMENDATIONS: The Fire District must initiate specific actions so that we may proceed forward to acquire the necessary equipment and services that would provide Metro Fire with a fully redesigned Bell UH1-S Super Huey. If a phased or stepped approach were necessary, we would recommend specific alternatives that would provide Metro Fire a helicopter with limitations. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE SMFD BOARD: 1. Approve the implementation of a SMFD Firefighting Helicopter Program. 2. Approve the source of funding for the helicopter retrofit; approve the sole source acquisition of the helicopter retrofit utilizing the best price services available and meet all objectives identified in Phases #1 and #2. 3. Approve the sole source acquisition of helicopter maintenance services. 4. Authorize the Fire Chief, Purchasing Agent, and the Chief Financial Officer to develop any necessary purchase and contract agreements related to the helicopter program. 5. Approve the acquisition of additional surplus military equipment
related to the SMFD Firefighting Helicopter Program. If necessary, we would anticipate a two-phase approach: Phase 1: Phase 2: Respectfully Submitted, Dennis G. Plessas
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