County Helicopter Already Proving Critical as Fire Season Starts a Month Early

The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Board convened for a special meeting dominated by a sweeping status report from Fire Chief Aaron McAlister, who warned that fire season is arriving faster than expected — and that a dangerous July 4th weekend could overwhelm district resources. The board also cleared its consent calendar, with one item requiring a separate vote after a supervisor disclosed a financial conflict.

• County helicopter launched May 1 — a month ahead of last year — and is already making 10–12 water drops before state aircraft arrive

• Two first-in-region EV battery fire devices nearly ready for deployment in Lafayette and Pittsburgh

• Fire chief warns July 4th on a weekend will overwhelm resources; all fireworks are illegal countywide

• Brentwood fire station delays are driving up costs for Measure X taxpayers

• New online dashboard maps every fire prevention and mitigation project in the county

Early Helicopter Deployment Fills a Critical Gap

The basics: The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District operates a helicopter for initial wildfire attack. Last year, it didn't start flying until June 1. This year, the district moved that date up to May 1 — and the decision is already paying off.

Why it matters: In the window before Cal Fire and other state aircraft ramp up for the season, the county helicopter is the only aerial resource available for initial attack on new fires. Getting 10–12 water drops on a fire in its earliest minutes can mean the difference between a contained incident and a catastrophic event.

"Fire season is off to a big start. The board may recall that last year we didn't start the helicopter until June 1st. This year we started it on May 1st," said Fire Chief Aaron McAlister.

Where things stand: McAlister detailed a recent wind-driven fire near Brentwood where even grazed private land with fuels under six inches burned rapidly.

"The private property owner in that area, that land had been grazed. We're talking about fuels that were less than 6 inches. This was not wildland brush, timber. And so that fire still burned that fast and consumed that grass under wind driven conditions," he said.

Supervisor Ken Carlson, District 4, praised the investment in air operations after visiting the Byron facilities.

"I was out yesterday, out at air operations and the hand crew site out in Byron. An amazing job. What you have done and the whole team has done wanted to make that a useful space," he said.

A red flag warning for high winds is expected tomorrow night, and operational staff is already preparing.

July 4th: "We Will Run Out of Resources"

Why it matters: All fireworks — including so-called "safe and sane" varieties — are illegal in Contra Costa County. With July 4th falling on a weekend this year, Fire Chief Aaron McAlister warned that the extended celebration window will multiply the strain on fire crews.

"All fireworks are illegal. We're very concerned about this year's holiday," McAlister said.

He was blunt about what the district expects:

"At some point we will run out of resources on July 4th and that's a very, very difficult position for all of our staff to find themselves completely overwhelmed and unable to answer every call for service."

The district plans to upstaff with hand crews, activate the departmental operations center, and deploy the community warning system. Residents should expect delayed response times if simultaneous incidents arise.

Brentwood Fire Station Delays Cost Measure X Taxpayers

Where things stand: Fire Station 90 in Brentwood faces ongoing permitting challenges with the city. Meanwhile, the downtown Brentwood station housing Engine 94 remains on track for a December or January completion and staffing.

Supervisor Diane Burgis, District 3, pressed the point that construction delays have a direct fiscal cost borne by taxpayers across the entire county.

"It's just a reminder that Measure X is a sales tax that is paid throughout the county that has been provided to help with this area out here to build these fire stations. So this is costing all the taxpayers more money the longer it takes. Is that correct?" she said.

Burgis also urged residents to take personal preparedness seriously, noting that some people hesitate during evacuations and may not know basic steps like manually opening a garage door when electricity is cut.

What's next: Fire Station 9 in Pacheco is progressing through the design-build proposal phase. The new communications center in Pleasant Hill will hold its ribbon cutting Friday, with the actual operational switchover happening the following week.

New Tech and Tools: EV Fire Response and Prevention Dashboard

HAZMAT — Cold Cut Cobra: The district is deploying two Cold Cut Cobra devices — tools mounted on pickup trucks with camper shells that can penetrate the sealed battery compartment of an electric vehicle during a fire. They will be stationed at HAZMAT facilities in Lafayette and Pittsburgh.

"They've been outfitted on pickup trucks with camper shells that are able to penetrate the sealed battery compartment in the event of an EV fire. The only ones in the region that I'm aware of," said Fire Chief Aaron McAlister.

Fire Prevention Dashboard: A new online dashboard now maps all fire prevention and mitigation projects countywide and is linked to Cal Fire Mapper so insurance companies and state officials can see the work being done. The district is also preparing a Cal Fire mitigation grant application for a project in Clayton. The weed abatement deadline has passed.

Minor Items

• Consent calendar items C1–C15 approved unanimously, 5-0 (For: Gioia, Andersen, Carlson, Scales-Preston, Burgis; Against: none; Absent: none).

• Consent item C16 approved 4-0 after Supervisor Candace Andersen, District 2, recused herself due to a declared economic conflict of interest.

• 15 new fire captains were promoted June 1 following a three-week train-to-qualify process.

• Fire chief's report accepted unanimously, 5-0. Supervisor John Gioia, District 1, noted this was Chief McAlister's first official report after being sworn in.

• The Fire Board adjourned and the Board of Supervisors reconvened to enter closed session with no anticipated announcements.