172
C ali forn ia’s Olde st Ne w spaper
– E s t. 18 51
Volume 172 • Issue 1| $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Chopper could see skies this fall Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
The El Dorado County Sheriff ’s Office could have its helicopter as soon as fall 2023, according to former Sheriff John D’Agostini. On Dec. 20 he requested the county Board of Supervisors approve purchasing an AS350 B3 Airbus chopper for $3.3 million. The aircraft is currently in use in Seminole County, Florida. Although it is used machinery, D’Agostini said it is “in perfect shape.” “It meets all of our mission requirements,” D’Agostini told the board. “It already comes with a hoist, a Bambi Bucket, clear radio … everything. It is ready to go.” A Bambi Bucket is a specialized helicopter bucket used to deliver water for firefighting. D’Agostini previously noted a helicopter with those features would help aid in fire suppression efforts and could have helped firefighters in containing the 2021 Caldor Fire that burned more than 220,000 acres and 1,000 structures in El Dorado County. The Sheriff ’s Office recognized its need to have a helicopter in early 2022. D’Agostini said the aircraft would be beneficial to the department and, by extension the county, for conducting search and rescues, pursuing high-speed chases and other law enforcement operations, in addition to firefighting. During a Board of Supervisor’s meeting April 25, direction to allocate $400,000 from excess Transient Occupancy Tax funds was approved to cover half of the yearly cost for the first year of the helicopter’s operation. The Sheriff ’s Office is fronting the money for the purchase of the chopper. County staff told the board while the purchase agreement is exempt from Florida state taxes, it is not exempt from sales and use taxes in California. The chopper will go back to aviation company Airbus for a refit, which includes installing a new engine before being delivered to the county. Purchase of the aircraft will include a $150,000 deposit due prior to Dec. 31 and an additional $850,000 pre-payment due May 31, 2023, to secure a cheaper cost to replace the engine, which has a warranty of 500 hours or 12 months, among other warranty provisions coming with n
Mountain Democrat photo by Odin Rasco
Vehicles drive through a flooded roadway as Hangtown Creek overflows onto lower Main Street in Placerville Saturday.
Heavy rain pummels county; more to come Odin Rasco Staff writer The first of a salvo of storms set to hit Northern California over the course of a week created chaos across El Dorado County Saturday. The storm, fed by an atmospheric river passing above the state, led to flooded businesses and roads, evacuations, rockslides, sinkholes, uprooted trees and still-to-becalculated property damage. The greater Sacramento region, including El Dorado County, was under a flood warning from the National Weather Service until Sunday evening. Placerville’s Main Street saw multiple instances of flooding, including near Motherlode Board Supply Company
See chopper, page A7
n
Photo by Wendy Chadwick
A hay bale serves as high ground for Appleseed Horticulture owner Scott See storm, page A8 Martin on a flooded Placerville Drive.
Gap in ambulance services to be filled El Dorado County Fire Protection District News release
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The El Dorado County Fire Protection District has committed to staffing an additional ambulance that will restore a gap in services that occurred when staffing shortages shut down Diamond Springs Medic 49. The medic unit is expected to be back in service early spring, according to a news release from county fire officials.
“The loss of the second-busiest ambulance in our system has been tough on our crews,” states EDCFPD Chief Tim Cordero. “The 300-plus emergencies per month that were handled by this closed ambulance have been shifted to our other units.” This will be the fifth medic unit the El Dorado County Fire Protection District operates and the eighth medic unit in the West Slope emergency medical services system. The additional medic unit will operate out of
Diamond Springs-El Dorado Fire Protection District’s Station 49 in historical Diamond Springs. “It will be a joint effort with county fire personnel working side by side with Diamond Springs fire crews in their firehouse,” notes Cordero. The former Medic 49 went offline July, 1 2022. “The loss of this unit has really stretched our crews to the limits,” Cordero continues. Since August other n
See ambulance, page A3
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