San Diego County’s wildfire response just got a major boost. A new CAL FIRE Firehawk helicopter is now permanently based at the Ramona Air Base and officially went into service on Monday.
“When wildfire strikes, minutes matter,” said County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson‑Remer. “This Board has made wildfire readiness a top public safety priority and permanently basing this Firehawk helicopter in San Diego is a major result of that work. San Diego County stepped up, invested in this partnership with CAL FIRE, and delivered a stronger, faster, more capable tool to protect families, homes, and communities across our region.”
The Sikorsky S‑70 Firehawk helicopter brings several upgrades to local firefighting efforts. It can carry more water, has improved safety features, and can support many types of emergency missions, from fighting wildfires to performing rescues.
“This is a milestone event for both CAL FIRE and the County of San Diego. It ends nearly 50 years of intermittent state helicopter coverage in San Diego and greatly increases our operational capability,” said CAL FIRE San Diego County Fire Chief Tony Mecham. “This has been an incredible journey undertaken for the right reason: to provide a higher level of service not only to San Diego County, but to the State of California.”
In 2025, the County Board of Supervisors funded the purchase of a twin‑engine helicopter capable of night operations. The County partnered with CAL FIRE to operate and maintain the aircraft.
The Firehawk carries a 1,000‑gallon water tank, hoist rescue equipment and space to transport crews into remote areas.
“This is the first firefighting helicopter for San Diego County Fire,” said County Fire Director Jeff Collins. “The increased water dropping capability of this helicopter compared to the existing Sheriff helicopters is 1000 gallons versus less than 500 gallons.”
Pilots, technicians, and helicopter crews and support staff for wildfire suppression, search and rescue, and hoist and emergency missions have trained for months to bring the helicopter into service, with additional helicopter and hoist rescue training underway.
Collins said crews are also training for night operations, which will take additional time.
The helicopter’s placement in San Diego is the result of a partnership between CAL FIRE Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and CAL FIRE San Diego Unit’s Aviation Program.
