CAL FIRE hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday to mark the completion of $12 million in renovations at the Ramona Airbase to advance its firefighting capabilities as Southern California’s wildfire season grows in intensity and complexity. Working with Perimeter Solutions, a leading global manufacturer of high-quality fire retardant and firefighting foam, the County of San Diego is also taking preventative measures to help protect communities from wildfire by applying PHOS-CHEK^® long-term fire retardant along all high fire-risk County roads for the sixth consecutive year.

“Many of my constituents have been personally impacted by wildfire or know someone who has. Fire safety and prevention have consistently been a top priority for my constituents and we continue to invest proactively to provide better protection for the entire county,” said Supervisor Joel Anderson, representing District 2 on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “The renovations made in Ramona will enhance support for the large airtankers needed to combat today’s wildfires, cutting down turnaround times for aircraft to reload PHOS-CHEK, and return to the fire faster to save lives and protect our communities.”

Upgrades to the Ramona Airbase significantly expand its capacity to support airtanker operations. More than a dozen improvements were made, including increasing operational capacity by adding 5,200 square feet of fire retardant mixing equipment and installing four additional 20,000-gallon PHOS-CHEK storage tanks. The retardant loading pits were also relocated to allow aircraft to pass through more efficiently, and a new underground piping system was put in to expedite retardant delivery to the aircraft.

For the sixth straight year, the County of San Diego will apply PHOS-CHEK fire retardant along more than 200 miles of roadway that are historically at high-risk for wildfire. This includes Wildcat Canyon, which faces elevated risk due to heavy vehicular traffic and the fact that its hilly terrain leads to a greater number of cars and trucks overheating. Based on the same technology as the red PHOS-CHEK seen dropped from aircraft during active wildfires to help prevent their spread, ground-based PHOS-CHEK is an uncolored, highly durable retardant that is applied on flammable vegetation and cellulosic material once early in the fire season before a wildfire approaches to provide ongoing protection from wildfire that is designed to remain effective until a significant rain event occurs. When fire comes into contact with vegetation covered in PHOS-CHEK, the retardant on the outside of the cellulose, grass, and other fuels transforms into a carbon layer that does not support combustion, helping to prevent the fire from spreading.

“Since we started applying PHOS-CHEK to San Diego County’s high-risk fire areas in 2021, not a single large wildfire has started in those areas. Fire starts were recorded, but the PHOS-CHEK application successfully contained them before they could affect surrounding communities. We are proud of the results in San Diego County and remain committed to providing advanced fire-retardant solutions to help protect local residents," said Steven Woolworth, Vice President of Commercial Operations at Perimeter Solutions. San Diego County’s wildfire mitigation strategy is partially supported by a Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG). The CWDG program was authorized as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which put aside $1 billion over five years to cover the costs for areas at high-risk for wildfire to mitigate those risks. Local community and tribal leaders working to reduce the risk of wildfire are encouraged to apply to receive CWDG grants, and to incorporate PHOS-CHEK into their wildfire mitigation strategies.