Napa County - File #: 21-668

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Action Details	Meeting Details	Video
7/13/2021	1	Board of Supervisors			Not available	Meeting details	Video

TO: Board of Supervisors

FROM: Geoff Belyea, County Fire Chief

REPORT BY: Geoff Belyea, County Fire Chief

SUBJECT: Fire Suppression Equipment

RECOMMENDATION

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County Fire Chief will discuss and seek direction regarding available options for additional fire suppression equipment.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Since 2017, Napa County has experienced several large and devastating wildfires. Aerial firefighting assets are an important component to the overall fire suppression delivery system in Napa County. Napa County Fire Department has no aerial Firefighting assets and relies on CAL FIRE aerial Firefighting assets to assist with wildfire suppression in Napa County. The County Fire Chief is seeking direction on two possible options to enhance aerial Firefighting assets in Napa County for the remainder of this Fire Season.

FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT

Is there a Fiscal Impact?	Yes
Is it currently budgeted?	No
Is it Mandatory or Discretionary?	Discretionary
Discretionary Justification:	Funding would provide enhanced aerial firefighting asset to Napa County for Fire Season. Without this funding wildfires could negatively impact the residents and visitors of Napa County.
Is the general fund affected?	Yes
Future fiscal impact:	If the Board directs staff to include additional equipment, costs associated with the equipment will be included in the future in recommended budget requests.
Consequences if not approved:	The County will maintain existing equipment only for fire suppression and rely on CAL FIRE for additional resources if needed.
County Strategic Plan pillar addressed:	Healthy, Safe, and Welcoming Place to Live, Work, and Visit

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulation 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

Since 2017, Napa County has experienced several large and devastating wildfires. Aerial firefighting assets are an important component to the overall fire suppression delivery system in Napa County. Napa County Fire Department has no aerial Firefighting assets and relies on CAL FIRE aerial Firefighting assets to assist with wildfire suppression in Napa County. A type I helicopter would be the most appropriate and effective aerial Firefighting asset for Napa County. Helicopters would be able to utilize water sources such as lakes, small ponds that are in the closest proximity to the fire, reducing the “turnaround time”- the time it takes for a firefighting aircraft to drop water on a fire, go to a water source, pick up water and return to drop water on the fire. According to Napa County GIS Specialist there are approximately 1,700 permanent water sources in Napa County. As an example, on the first day of the Glass Fire, one type I helicopter dropped approximately 54,120 gallons of water on the fire in 8 hours.

Because the Napa County Fire Department does not have aerial Firefighting assets, we would need to follow CAL FIRE or National Interagency policies/procedures to ensure the safe operation of aerial Firefighting assets and their coordination with ground-based Firefighters. Before aerial Firefighting assets could be used on a fire they first would need to be carded for firefighting operations by either the interagency carding system i.e. the United States Forest Service or the Department of Interior or CAL FIRE. CAL FIRE has the delegated authority from the United States Forest Service to card aircraft for use on SRA fires. It is estimated that the carding process can take 1 to 2 months. This carding process is required for aircraft, pilots, and support equipment. Additionally, having the potential aerial Firefighting asset signed up as a Call When Needed (CWN) resource would allow Napa County Fire Department, in certain circumstances, to be able to receive compensation from CAL FIRE for the aerial Firefighting assets use.

The County Fire Chief is seeking direction on two possible options to enhance aerial Firefighting assets in Napa County for the remainder of this Fire Season.

Option 1- Utilize a competitive bidding process to secure an Exclusive Use type I helicopter for the remainder of this Fire Season. It is estimated that this process could be completed in approximately 2-3 weeks. It is important to note that this process would be expedited by soliciting already “carded” aircraft, pilots and support equipment.
Option 2- Conduct a RFP process to secure an exclusive Use type 1 helicopter for the remainder of this Fire Season. It is estimated that this process could be completed in approximately 30 days.

Potential fiscal impacts to Napa County.

	90 Day Contract	Total Estimated Costs	120 Day Contract	Total Estimated Costs
Daily Availability Rate	$10,000-$22,000	$900,000-$1,800,000	$10,000-$22,000	$1,220,000-$2,640,000
Average Hourly Flight Rate	$4,000-$5,000	$720,000-$900,000	$4,000-$5,000	$720,000-$900,000
Personnel Costs	$150,000-$200,000	$150,000-$200,000	$150,000-$200,000	$150,000-$200,000
Airport Fees	$60,000	$60,000	$60,000	$60,000
Insurance	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

TOTAL		$1,830,000-$2,960,000		$2,150,000-$2,900,000

*Insurance costs are a complex issue and in speaking with the County’s Risk Manager, will require of an aviation expert in the insurance field to determine the actual cost. The cost of insurance will be determined by the aircraft hull and the insurance risk history of the selected company, aircraft and pilots.

*Estimated flight costs will vary but are based upon approximately 90 wildfire dispatches in Napa County for 2020. The number of dispatches were multiplied by an estimated 2 hours of flight time equaling 180 hrs.