Fire Officials Discuss Training Site Grant
With federal help, the Camarillo Airport may one day house a facility to teach area firefighters how to handle plane crashes.
The Ventura County Fire Protection District is considering applying for a $3.8-million federal grant to build an aircraft rescue and firefighting center at the airport. The facility would serve firefighters from San Louis Obispo to Los Angeles.
Ventura County supervisors, acting as the fire protection district board, will discuss today whether to apply for the grant.
Local firefighters currently use an aging facility at Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station for the training. County officials not only want a newer facility, they also point to a need for more training facilities statewide. The California Department of Transportation, hoping to provide plane crash training to additional firefighters, recently determined that the Camarillo Airport was one of just three suitable locations in the state for such a facility.
A minimum of 300 firefighters would use the facility each year, according to county fire officials.
The aircraft rescue and firefighting center would be just one part of a larger training center the county has, for five years, worked to build at the airport. Once complete, the center would train local emergency personnel to handle wildfires, hazardous material spills and urban search and rescue situations.
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