Aug. 24--REDLANDS -- A fixture at the airport has departed.
The city removed Redlands Municipal Airport's firefighting device -- a 42-year-old pickup truck storing fire extinguishers -- due to liability, cost and insurance concerns, according to city officials.
"The removal of the equipment will in no way negatively impact the safe operation of the Redlands airport or the Fire Department's ability to respond to an emergency there," Development Services Director Oscar Orci wrote in an email.
The truck, owned by the Fire Department, had been parked at the airport for about 30 years and could be used by anyone, leading to a variety of potential violations.
Non-city employees are not allowed to operate a city vehicle because of insurance issues, Orsi said.
The state requires appropriate equipment and training to fight fires and the truck's limited use is not worth the strain on the Fire Department's budget, he said.
Jim Ott owns and operates Redlands Aviation, which leases part of the airport property from the city. In the eight years Ott has worked at the airport, he said, the truck has been used twice.
"It's not like we have a lot of fires out here anyways," he said.
A large fire extinguisher on wheels replaced the pickup truck.
John Caton, who sits on the city Airport Advisory Board, said the explanation he received from the city regarding liability issues makes sense.
"It would be more comfortable for me to use my own extinguisher rather than something off the truck," he said.
But Bob Pearce, a former member of the panel who parks his plane at Redlands Municipal Airport, said he and other pilots are worried that without the truck, a fire may not be suppressed quickly enough.
The large extinguisher is stored a half-mile to a mile away from where a plane would likely crash, like the incident that occurred on July 15.
"If that fuel line, which comes down through the fuel post, hit a hot exhaust, there would have been an engine fire," Pearce said.
He doesn't believe the Fire Department would be able to arrive in time to suppress a serious fire.
"An analysis of incidents at the airport since 2000 indicates an average response time of eight minutes and 54 seconds," Orci wrote.
The airport complies with all federal and state safety requirements, including placing fire extinguishers within 75 feet of each hangar, according to Orci.
"Redlands Municipal Airport is not required to provide aircraft rescue and firefighting services," Orci wrote.
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