Sunshine Summit Fire Department Protects Rural Hamlet
By E.A. Barrera

When last fall's 100-acre Camino Fire in Warner Springs forced more than 170 residents to evacuate their homes, the battle to contain the blaze fell to the California Department of Forestry and the firefighters of the Sunshine Summit Fire Department.

More than 200 firefighters fought the blaze, which could have been a larger disaster if not for their efforts.

The Sunshine Summit Fire Department has been in existence since 2005, when the County Board of Supervisors negotiated contracts with fire agencies to create year-round firefighting agencies. This was part of the county's response to the devastating wildfires of 2003, which burned more acreage that any fires in California history.

"Yearly funding from the county has enhanced this fire department," noted Sunshine Fire Chief Dennis Parry. "We now are awaiting two new pieces of apparatus - a $100,000 Water Tender and a New Type 2 Engine."

Parry noted that Sunshine is responsible for an area covering Warner Springs all the way to the Riverside County line.

"We have on board 12 volunteer firefighters. This is the fire department that responds along with CDF. We work hand in hand," said Parry.

The Camino fire came on the heels of the third anniversary of the 2003 Cedar, Paradise and Otay fires. Supervisor Dianne Jacob and county officials are quick to point out improvements made since the 2003 firestorms.

"Thanks to communications upgrades, two firefighting helicopters and many other measures, the San Diego region has improved its ability to fight wildfires," said Jacob.

Jacob lauded the changes made to county fire standards and emergency procedures, including two new county-owned firefighting helicopters and what she termed a "landmark agreement between the U.S. military and the California Department of Forestry," which she said would allow military resources to assist during fires.

The supervisor said CDF pilots would now be given discretion over water drops at sunset, which was a major area of contention in the investigations after the Cedar Fire as to when after sunset the pilots were forbidden by regulation from flying into a fire area. During the Camino fire, CDF helicopters were used to put out the blaze.