The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's (CAL FIRE) San Diego Unit will soon commence a sizable renovation project at its Ramona Air Attack Base. Starting August 1, the project aims to ready the base for one of the new C-130H air tankers, which is expected to significantly improve the agency's capability to combat wildfires in Southern California.
This upgrade, involving demolishing and rebuilding the base's old tarmac and fire-retardant reloading areas, will accommodate the larger and more technically demanding C-130H aircraft. Set to last between 8 and 12 months, the project will temporarily take the mix plant at Ramona offline, necessitating CAL FIRE to temporarily adjust their air firefighting strategies. According to CAL FIRE's announcement, made via a social media post, during construction, they plan to strategically increase initial attack aircraft dispatch to ensure a swift aerial response in the region.
Contriving alternative operations, CAL FIRE intends to maintain a state of readiness by using the Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base in Riverside County, and potentially activating a temporary reload base at Brown Field Municipal Airport in San Diego County. Furthermore, to ensure that immediate aerial response times in San Diego County aren't compromised, two air tankers will be fully loaded and on standby at Ramona.
