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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (483674)	5/27/2009 3:56:36 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 1574005

I sure buy it. They have been trying to close down our air base for years. Many of our fires last year could have been stopped dead in their tracks the first day, but our AF was off in Napa. JANUARY 16 2003 -- UKIAH, CA: Mendocino County officials expressed concern after hearing that the state plans to close the air attack base in Ukiah because of budget problems. CDF plans to reassign the two Ukiah airtankers to Santa Rosa and Chico; they also plan to cut lookout posts, according to Karen Terrill with CDF. The Herald Tribune reported that the lookouts no longer have the significant role they once had because fires are often reported by citizens. The posts affected by the proposal include those at Lake Berryessa in Napa County and Mount Konocti in Lake County. Closing the air base at Ukiah would save the department $391,000 next fiscal year, said Louis Blumberg, a CDF deputy director. Under Gov. Gray Davis's proposed budget, CDF faces a $1.7 million shortfall. Consolidating air ops is seen as a better option than closing fire stations. But to many county residents, closing the base is a shock. The Ukiah Daily Journal reported that county supervisors Tuesday blasted CDF's contention that eliminating the air attack base will save money. "We are being put at risk for savings that aren't worth spitting at," said 5th District Supervisor David Colfax. Supervisors voted 5-0 to send a letter to the governor, asking him to reject CDF's proposal. Agency officials expect to save $795,000 by closing the bases and moving personnel and planes to Chico, Santa Rosa, and Fresno. Supervisors said eliminating the base will actually cost the state more money, because the extra response time -- between 35 and 48 minutes -- will result in larger fires. Local resident Lori Egerer told county supervisors her house surely would have burned in a 2001 fire at McNab Ranch if it hadn't been for airtankers. Like Egerer, many Mendocino County residents live far from fire stations and paved roads, making ground fire response slow. Those people rely on the CDF tankers, supervisors said. "For them, closure of Ukiah air attack is just as threatening as it would be for you if the city of Sacramento shut down all its fire houses and announced that your fire protection would now be sent from Vallejo," their letter states. The city of Ukiah, the Farm Bureau, and Brooktrails Community Services District, among others, also plan to petition the governor and CDF to keep the base open. wildfirenews.com