Fire Safety Technology

By Jim Desmond
As we head into the fall, the risk of fire increases in San Diego County.
With that in mind, we must do all we can to be ready. Last month, the Rainbow Municipal Water District, North County Fire Protection District and CalFire partnered to launch the first Heli-Hydrant in San Diego County and second in the community of Rainbow. The Heli-Hydrant is a pilot-controlled, remotely activated, 12’ by 5’ deep open tank that is only filled when needed. The Heli-Hydrant is connected to a water distribution system and helicopter pilots will have efficient, permanent access to water and be able to rapidly make substantial water drops. Heli-Hydrants are similar to an above-ground swimming pool that can be filled with approximately 5,000 gallons of water in 6 minutes. It will allow a firefighting helicopter to fill its water tank within a matter of seconds and return to the fire quickly.

I’ve been so impressed with the heli-hydrant technology, that I am now looking at bringing more to North County. At today’s Board meeting, I initiated a Board letter to direct the Chief Administrative Officer to work with staff to determine the feasibility of placing additional Heli-Hydrants in San Diego County and report back to the Board of Supervisors in 120 days with potential locations.