8/25/01
SILVERTIP HELIBASE MANAGEMENT SERVICE has just completed it's third state
helibase assignment. Each assignment has gotten more involved, more personnel
assigned to the helibase and the daily helibase cost for each incident
has gone up. I'm sure this will continue to be the case as the fire season
goes into its peak period. I can't begin to tell you how each of us at
SILVERTIP feel when we get the call to respond to a new incident. I guess
some things will never change. The call to a new incident is just as exciting
now as it was when I was a new fire fighter back in 1965. Each of the
personnel at SILVERTIP feels the same way.
After each incident SILVERTIP has been given a performance evaluation,
the same as any vendor receives, who works for the State Of California.
Each of our evaluations has been very positive. We are proud of the work
we perform and our standards will never be anything but outstanding! We
will always maintain a safe and efficient helibase. There has been one
concern on each of our evaluations to date. Each evaluation and the concern
of several CDF personnel we have talked to, feel the need of having a
uniformed CDF person assigned to the helibase. We of SILVERTIP have talked
about this and we have voiced our views to CDF on this matter. We feel
the best solution is to have an Air Support Supervisor be assigned to
each helibase to support our logistical needs, sign agency documents that
SILVERTIP completes and assists the Air Ops. We feel this will eliminate
this problem. We hope this will be the solution to this concern.
If you have any comments or ideas for SILVERTIP please e-mail us. We would
like to hear form you.
KEN SCHLEINTZ
SILVERTIP HELIBASE MANAGEMENT SERVICE