The County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to share a Black Hawk helitanker lease with San Diego Gas & Electric, giving an additional boost to the region’s aerial firefighting options during peak fire season.
We already have one, but this helitanker will be pre-positioned in North County during Red Flag warnings. It can stay airborne for two and a half hours and potentially drop 20,000-30,000 gallons of water per hour.
SDG&E will cover the costs to operate the helitanker for the first two hours of any new flight, and the County will cover the second two flight hours. We will continue to make sure that we are prepared for the upcoming fire season, with all the tools necessary.
