Visiting CAL FIRE’s Ramona Air Attack Base for the first time

In this episode, we visit CAL FIRE's Ramona Air Attack base for the first time to figure out who we’re going to follow for our docuseries. Situated in San Diego County, this base is home to two CAL FIRE S2 air tankers, one CAL FIRE OV-10 Air Attack plane, and their support crews. There’s also a USFS helitack crew based here during the summer… but we don’t have permission to film them just yet :)
We sat down for a chat with Battalion Chief Brown, the mastermind behind the scenes as the Aviation Battalion Chief and Air Tactical Group Supervisor (ATGS), along with a rising star in training for the ATGS role. This was our first opportunity to interview folks in this very unique role. For those unfamiliar, an ATGS flies in the OV-10 Air Attack, circling a wildfire above the other firefighting aircraft. From this vantage point, they oversee the fire and coordinate aerial assets, all while communicating with the incident commander on the ground. This role demands immense responsibility and unique skills, making it clear that only a truly exceptional individual can fill these shoes. Looking forward to following these two over the fire season!

[@brentflora8965]

The place I personally know of & never seems to rest is the Air Attack base stationed at the Columbia Airport in Tuolumne County, Central - Eastern California❗Lived in that County for 13 yrs.& have watched everything between the Huey helicopter to the DC 10 fire tanker dumping retardant ahead of a fire❗

[@johnwoodall3791]

Awesome People. Really nice video guys ...

[@AirborneFirefighters]

🙏🏽

[@firevalleyphoto]

Enjoying your stuff

[@AirborneFirefighters]

Thank you 🙏🏽

[@dclarky2]

Good channel. Suggestion to have less driving around and shots of your trailer and going into the base. More content at the base. Talk to some firefighters, ask about various dispatch levels, day in the life at the base.

[@AirborneFirefighters]

Noted! Thanks for watching 🙏🏽

[@dylpickle9457]

These videos do feel more like a trailer for bigger videos. Need more content on the bases.

[@AirborneFirefighters]

@@dylpickle9457 Yes these are just the behind-the-scenes that we should when we're not filming the real deal. But, will try to get more content in the bases in future ones. Thanks for watching!

[@AirborneFirefighters]

@@dylpickle9457 Thanks for watching! Yes they are just behind-the-scenes for the more in depth content that is to come, but we'll try to share more of the bases in the future. Thanks for the feedback!

[@redc8783]

What about interviews with the ground support crews,ie fuel, AC break downs, routine maintenance and regulatory inspection. Yes AC don’t fly without pilots but it takes and hell of support team to keep them going. 😊

[@AirborneFirefighters]

You’re 100% right!! They are just a little camera shy :) but if we can convince them, what would you like to know?

[@redc8783]

@@AirborneFirefighters the same basic info, where they came from ie like thru the ranks of fire service, any formal training or experiences drills and daily life and routines, full time or seasonal

[@FireAction-pd4vy]

Ov10 on top

[@AirborneFirefighters]

Thanks for watching!

[@isaiahedmonds9002]

Do Columbia next!

[@AirborneFirefighters]

On our list!

[@Clouds75]

Hello, this video is good, but the story telling is very all over the place. After watching, a lot of your scenes skip around a lot. It can make it really hard to track. Like, you went to Day 3, showed one of the CalFife guys, and almost immediately jumped to Day 4? While I appreciate the video, and the content behind it, I would love to suggest a smoother story telling process. More fluidity between scenes and parts of the story. More of the people, less of the in-car, driving around. Overall, good video 👍

[@AirborneFirefighters]

Hey @Clouds75, thanks for sharing your thoughts! We appreciate the fair feedback. Our primary focus is on delivering a compelling docuseries about aerial firefighters, so we hear you that the behind-the-scenes content took a bit of a backseat this time. We agree it’s not perfect, but we’re doing our best with the time we have. Your input is super valuable for us to improve and refine our approach moving forward. Stay tuned for more, and thanks again for your support and suggestions! 🚁🔥

[@maxxawesome7412]

What helicopter do you fly at Gillespie? And whose Citation is that?

[@AirborneFirefighters]

He flies a couple different copters doing utility and fire.

[@pjh9873]

What's the deal with telling us about the cool interviews and other shots, but only showing us a few seconds here and there? "Where's the Beef?" as the old Wendy's add appealed....

[@AirborneFirefighters]

This is the behind the scenes making of the real documentary which is going to take a lot longer to put together.