Cal Fire Sonoma Air Attack Base keeps key tool ready for use at a moment's notice
Fire retardant is an important tool in fighting wildfires, and at the Sonoma Air Attack Base, crews are ready to make more of it and deploy at a moment's notice.
Battalion Chief Jake Serrano has been with Cal Fire for 31 years, much of that time has been spent working at the base.
"We definitely want to help, so if there's a fire, we want to go to it," said Serrano. "It's one of 14 air attack bases in the state, and we're one of the few bases that can load large air tankers."
Serrano said they go to initial attacks almost every day, catching fires while they are small and before they become an issue for most people.
"This whole operation is designed to get a quick response and get retardant and water on a fire before ground crews arrive," said Serrano.
An aircraft can often get to fires faster and start suppression efforts.
The facility has about 50,000 gallons of fire retardant ready every day, and if they use that, they're capable of making another 50,000 gallons.
They can load the planes and get them off quickly.
"It takes about four minutes in the pits is what we shoot for, and then, they're off and back to the fire," said Serrano about getting an aircraft to a fire multiple times.
The pilots and other fire personnel are always waiting and prepared for the next call.
"This is our fire retardant plant," said Serrano. "We have a water tank, we have a silo that carries the dry material that we make the retardant in and that all goes in the mix tank."
The different types of aircraft are just one part of the firefight, the tanks contain the secret weapon.
"This is the mix tank, this is where we mix the dry material with the water," said Serrano. "We just made a batch here, ready to go."
It takes about three hours to make enough retardant to fill up the silo. The retardant is bright and red, but it's nontoxic. He said it's basically just water and a lot of salt.
"This is the finished product; this is fire retardant," said Serrano. "You can see it's a little thicker than water. It's made to apply it on the vegetation and retard the spread of fire."
Cal Fire Public information officer Jason Clay said this year they've been busy.
"A really active start to the fire season, one of the most active we've had," said Clay. "Looking at the first half, going back 10-15 years, 2018 is the only year we've had more acres burned for our North Bay unit."
Clay said many of the fires have been wind driven. Fires ignite and spread quickly because of heavy vegetation growth from a wet winter that has now dried out in the summer heat.
But Serrano said the community can help Cal Fire.
"Defensible space is the key," said Serrano. "Keeping vegetation clear from your homes."
He also said it's also key for people to evacuate if it becomes time to go. For Serrano, it's his time to go.
He's eligible for retirement, and this is his last fire season with Cal Fire.
"It's bittersweet," said Serrano. "I'm looking forward to being retired but I'm going to miss the people mostly."
He said the air attack base will be in good hands.
The other firefighters will continue to be ready at a moment's notice, to hop in the planes and keep the community safe.