There’s a shortage of pilots at Cal Fire, and it’s looking to hire as many as 40 pilots.

Cal Fire says there have been times when aircraft like S-2’s have been sitting on the runway and could not respond to a fire. But it isn’t always because there was no pilot available.

Cal Fire confirms it is short on pilots, especially those that fly the S-2 tankers like in Hollister and other bases around the state.

But at no time has that meant delay in responding to fires, says Cal Fire Deputy Director Mike Mohler.

“Operationally, we bring on additional aircraft to fill in to respond as part of our initial response, so is there a pilot shortage, yes, but for response in having aircraft over fires, absolutely not,” Mohler said.

Cal Fire says there have been times when aircraft were grounded for lack of pilots. But sometimes, it’s just the opposite.

Fire season is now year-round and the aircraft need that much more maintenance, and sometimes, the pilot can be grounded for safety’s sake, says Mohler.

“Yes, there may be a Cal Fire aircraft sitting on the runway, but it’s in anticipation of either maintenance or a pilot that’s off that day or a pilot that has flown too many hours.”

As to what’s behind the shortage, many pilots have retired or are about to while others are being lured away by the private sector.

Flying through steep terrain and smoke to drop retardant on a wildfire is a dangerous job with difficult hours and there has been one death.  

“Yes, you could say perfect storm,” Mohler said. “It’s a combination of our aircraft not being a seasonal aircraft, but rather a year-round aircraft, so maintenance is a big, big issue for us. Pilots are retiring. There’s attrition in the fire service and already this summer, we’ve seen the biggest fire in Cal Fire’s history.”

Cal Fire says it is looking to hire as many as 40 pilots in the next few years to keep pace with the demand.

WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON: 

MORE STORIES