Construction has been underway at the Ramona Air Attack Base since August. The project will reconstruct the aging tarmac and support the incoming C-130H aircraft.
Cal Fire San Diego Capt. Robert Johnson told NBC 7 that the goal of the project is to get tankers in, refueled and back in the air as soon as possible. With dry, warm and breezy weather returning this week, it’s a reminder of just how crucial it is to have these resources available year-round in Southern California.
“The construction on this air attack base is just going to improve speed and efficiency and allow faster refuel times,” Johnson said.
He says the Ramona Air Attack Base is the oldest one within the Cal Fire system. Three in-service aircraft are stationed there – two S-2T aircraft and one air attack platform. They refuel at Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base in Riverside County while construction continues in Ramona.
Cal Fire will soon be adding a fourth air tanker to its fleet, and the C-130H will be stationed at the base next year. The construction is a major step toward accommodating the larger aircraft. Under the previous design of the base, the larger plane could not easily pull through to refuel with retardant.
“The air tankers are going to be able to pull up, refuel rapidly and then pull straight out to take off,” Johnson said.
On Thursday, construction crews were working in an area known as a ramp. It’s where aircraft will pull in to be filled with retardant before taking off. Johnson says the new upgrades will include a station that can hold up to 75,000 gallons of retardant, which is enough to refill a C-130 nearly 18 times.
“From where the retardant is located, there’s underground plumbing that plumbs underneath the ramp where there are going to be hoses, similar to a large fire hose, that connects to the aircraft, allowing it to pump the retardant from the mix plant into the air tankers,” Johnson said.
According to Cal Fire, when the construction is complete, it will take two to three minutes to refill the smaller S-2T, which can hold about 1,200 gallons of retardant, while it will take about five to 10 minutes to feed retardant into the C-130, which can hold up to 4,000 gallons.
An efficient system for these aircraft to easily maneuver on the ground will mean a quicker response from the air.
“That’s why the importance of upgrading the Ramona Air Attack Base to allow seamless and effective refilling of those larger aircraft to get them to the fire as soon as possible,” Johnson said.
Johnson says the project, which started on Aug. 1, is on track to be completed within its eight-to-12-month timeframe.
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