DATE:
April 26, 2022
01
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
ENSURING ADEQUATE AERIAL FIRE SUPPRESSION SUPPORT THROUGH THE ACQUISITION OF A TWIN-ENGINE HELICOPTER (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
Climate change has led to our region getting hotter and drier and the risk of serious wildfires continues to grow. We have seen historic fires throughout our state and the western United States in recent years and we must continue to do everything we can to adequately prepare for the very real risk of wildfire in San Diego. That includes taking every possible step to make sure that our first responders have the regional assets they need to fight fires on a 24-hour basis.
Aerial fire suppression during a wildfire is a critical component of the region's overall firefighting strategy. The current San Diego County aerial fleet consists of single-engine helicopters that are built out of 1960s and 1970s airframes. Twin-engine helicopters are more efficient at fighting fires as they have the ability to fly at night and carry a larger amount of water. The entire fleet of single-engine helicopters must eventually be replaced. Today's proposal, the acquisition of a twin-engine helicopter to add to the fleet, is the first step in this replacement plan.
The current fleet of helicopters used by San Diego County is manufactured by Bell. Operating a fleet of helicopters and equipment from a single manufacturer is more efficient and provides cost savings by standardizing flight training for pilots and costs for tooling and maintenance training.
This is a request to authorize the Director of the Department of Purchasing and Contracting to issue a competitive solicitation for the first acquisition, a single-source purchase, of one Bell 412 EPX helicopter, including outfitting. This is also a request to award new contracts and amend current contracts for Bell parts, components, repairs, and maintenance services, to award new contracts and amend current contracts for heli...
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