Posted by Jim Barnes (76.103.28.250) on December 10, 2009 at 19:27:30:
In Reply to: Re: Cal Fire Aviation Safety Officer posted by Hukares on December 09, 2009 at 19:24:51:
Hi Hukares,
Some issues need to be cleared up regarding CALFIRE’s Aviation Management Unit. First AMU is an advisory staff. It is the fire gods in Sacramento that make the big decisions. AMU provides the technical information and assistance that they request or need. AMU also administrates the air program and in my view do a very good job.
Secondly, AMU shares the responsibility and the credit for establishing what I believe is one of the best firefighting air programs in existance. It was with their help that the State’s air program was brought out of the Stone Age of aerial firefighting.
As agency officers AMU’s staff work under the same constraints required of any government employee. They don’t go outside the guidelines set by the powers that are without reprisals.
If you are talking about agency officers like Dave Wardall, Marshal Graves, Jay Martinack and Rich Ruggiero, I agree that these individuals routinely put their necks on the block to insure that CALFIRE followed the right course regarding the air program. Some of them did pay the price for their efforts. All they gained was the undying respect and gratitude for their dedication, integrity and resolve from all the pilots that ever served under their administration.
Overall I believe AMU is far more of a plus than a minus. The transition from radials to turboprops at the same time the labor force unionized caused a lot of growing pains. I think the whole program is better for the process. That being said I still think there is a need for one of our CALFIRE airtanker pilots to be commissioned as an operations officer. That is just my opinion.
Jim Barnes