The city Fire Commission in October approved the action after studies found serious safety problems at the air operations facility. Although the National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating those incidents, city studies found that crowded and inadequate facilities could contribute to the wear and tear on helicopter parts. The helicopters are parked next to a wide, concrete taxiway, allowing pilots plenty of space to maneuver aircraft during takeoff and landing, far from adjoining neighborhoods. A Home Depot, built directly north of the old heliport, will soon expand, and an airport business has relocated directly east. A temporary trailer with bunks for two pilots is parked at the new heliport site, while quarters for the rest of the team, as well as the operations center, remain in the old building.
Crews currently race to their helicopters in a pickup truck to answer a call.
The recent steps are only the first of improvements that officials say are sorely needed to improve the aerial firefighting and rescue operation. The proposed facility would include separate hangar and maintenance space and centralization of other services, such as stationing paramedics at the airport and relocating fire engines designed to handle plane crashes. Paramedics currently must be summoned from other fire stations miles from the airport, causing delays in responding to emergencies. The engine crash unit is based at a station on the opposite end of the airfield from the helicopter operations. Funds for those improvements, targeted for completion in the next five years, have not been identified.