The County of San Diego has completed $12 million of improvements to the Ramona Airbase to increase its aerial firefighting capabilities ahead of the region’s increasingly demanding wildfire seasons.
The upgrades were marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony and form part of the county’s wider wildfire resilience strategy, which also includes a sixth consecutive year of preventative fire retardant applications along high risk roads.
Increased firefighting capacity
Working with fire retardant manufacturer Perimeter Solutions, the county has expanded the airbase’s capacity to support airtanker operations through a series of infrastructure improvements.
The project included the installation of 5,200 square feet of additional fire retardant mixing equipment, four new 20,000 gallon PHOS-CHEK storage tanks, relocated retardant loading pits to improve aircraft movements and a new underground piping system to speed up retardant loading.
Environmental improvements were also completed, including a new oil and water separator, a catch basin and upgraded storm drainage systems to support environmental compliance.
Preventative fire protection
For the sixth consecutive year, San Diego County will apply PHOS-CHEK long term fire retardant along more than 200 miles of roads identified as being at high risk from wildfire.
Areas include Wildcat Canyon, where heavy traffic and challenging terrain increase the likelihood of vehicle related ignitions.
Applied before the peak wildfire season, the colourless ground based retardant is designed to remain effective until significant rainfall occurs. When exposed to fire, the treatment forms a carbon layer on vegetation and other combustible materials, helping to slow or prevent fire spread.
Supporting wildfire resilience
San Diego County’s wildfire mitigation programme is partly funded through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant programme, established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The programme provides funding for communities at high risk of wildfire and encourages local authorities and tribal organisations to adopt mitigation measures, including the use of long term fire retardants as part of their wildfire resilience strategies.
Supervisor Joel Anderson, representing District 2 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisor, said: “Many of my constituents have been personally impacted by wildfire or know someone who has.
“Fire safety and prevention have consistently been a top priority for my constituents and we continue to invest proactively to provide better protection for the entire county.
“The renovations made in Ramona will enhance support for the large airtankers needed to combat today’s wildfires, cutting down turnaround times for aircraft to reload PHOS-CHEK, and return to the fire faster to save lives and protect our communities.”
Steven Woolworth, Vice President of Commercial Operations at Perimeter Solutions, said: “Since we started applying PHOS-CHEK to San Diego County’s high-risk fire areas in 2021, not a single large wildfire has started in those areas. Fire starts were recorded, but the PHOS-CHEK application successfully contained them before they could affect surrounding communities.
“We are proud of the results in San Diego County and remain committed to providing advanced fire retardant solutions to help protect local residents.”
