Quieter Firefighting Season

Decreases in both comments received and households filing comments during the July – September 2021 quarter is welcome news.

This downward trend is attributed to the following:

• Airport staff continues to communicate preferred flight procedures for arrivals and departures with San Bernardino Airtanker Base pilots. Although there were no major wildfires in the region, they continued to fly for local training missions and out-of-state firefighting activities during the quarter.
• A less destructive wildfire season for the Inland Valley (so far). Community members may recall that the same quarter last year was the most extreme wildfire period on record in the region.

• SBD staff’s continued focus on the Good Neighbor Program. This important community resource: 1) is an outlet for neighbors, 2) educates pilots about neighborhood noise sensitivity, and 3) educates the community about airport operations, activities and developments through SBD’s social media channels and this quarterly newsletter.

Airport staff is hopeful that the recent cooler and rainy weather will contribute to minimal wildfire activity in our region for the remainder of 2021.