Fire Bill--Pay Now or Pay Later : Yes, ‘Super Scooper” costs a lot, but a killer wildfire costs much, much more

Here we go again.

The Labor Day weekend officially opens the wildfire season in Southern California. According to fire officials, drought conditions and heavy brush accumulation this year could make for an autumn as dangerous as the fall of 1993. That, of course, was the year flames swept through Laguna Beach, Altadena, Malibu and other areas, gutting 1,200 homes and racing across 200,000 acres.

Only the most unwise would sit on their hands after receiving such an ominous warning. But what to do?

A logical place to begin is “After Action,” a 38-page report on the 1993 fires that lists 95 recommendations. Such reports are prepared routinely by the governor’s Office of Emergency Planning after declared emergencies.

The overriding theme of the study is the need for better interagency coordination and communication--between the federal government and the state government and among local firefighting companies.

The state study also points up the need for continual training and the use of modern technology such as satellite mapping communication, cellular phones and heavy-lift helicopters.

One piece of equipment conspicuously absent from the report was the CL-415 “Super Scooper,” the amphibious plane that can repeatedly dump 1,600 gallons of water on a wildfire.

Los Angeles County prudently has committed $250,000 to lease one of the aircraft for a month. On the state level, Gov. Pete Wilson steadfastly has refused to support a Super Scooper test program at a time when the state is ailing financially.

However, Wilson should listen to Richard Andrews, his director of emergency services, who now says “the time has come for new tests of the Super Scooper.”

Andrews’ recommendation is sound. The problem is, recommendations made in the wake of a disaster all too often wind up being ignored--until the next disaster.

Wilson should sign legislation--now unfortunately stripped of funding--that would allow state testing of the Super Scooper. Of course the bill won’t mean much without funding: Finding that money should be a top priority for both the governor and the Legislature.

One way or another, the expense will be borne: Pay now for better equipment and training or pay later in terms of heavier losses in the next major wildfire.