Hollister
– An explosion that left a local man badly burned earlier this
month has officials concerned about staffing levels at the
Hollister Municipal Airport.
Hollister – An explosion that left a local man badly burned earlier this month has officials concerned about staffing levels at the Hollister Municipal Airport.
Hollister resident Bruce Ruddell received second- and third-degree burns June 13 after an airplane wing he was cutting into exploded, filling the afternoon sky with a 30-foot-high fireball, according to Airport Manager Bill Gere.
Sparks from the saw Ruddell was using to cut the wing ignited fuel that was left inside the plane’s wing tank, causing the explosion, according to Hollister Fire Captain Tim Schneider. Firefighters arrived on the scene within four minutes of a 911 call from pilots who were working nearby, Schneider said. Ruddell, 51, was flown to Valley Medical Hospital in San Jose and remains in intensive care.
For Gere, the sole city employee on duty during weekday business hours, the explosion was yet another indication that the airport is understaffed. Having another employee patrolling the 350-acre facility with a fire extinguisher and a cell phone could save lives, Gere said.
“I think we have good (emergency) procedures in place, but if this had happened at night, it might not have been noticed,” he said. “It really shows me that we need an airport operations official on duty at night and on weekends.”
While safety is a primary concern, being short on staff has caused the airport to suffer in other ways. Even getting routine maintenance work, such as mowing the grass, has become a hassle, according to Gere.
“Every airport around has three or four full-time employees. We have one: me,” he said. “The airport needs to be self-sufficient. We need to be able to do our own finances and mow our own grass in order to grow and improve.”
Councilman Brad Pike said he is also concerned about airport staffing, but is mindful of the city’s $3 million budget deficit.
“We have to figure it out. Obviously the budget has some restrictions. It will come down to what the public sees as important or we’ll have to look at some other options to fund this,” he said. “We have to have someone responsible for the airport at the airport 24-7.”
Pike said he thinks tax revenue generated from new development after the city’s building moratorium is lifted in 2008 or 2009 will eventually fund additional airport staffing. Imposed by the state in 2002 after a local sewage spill, the moratorium precludes new construction requiring sewer hook-ups. During the intervening years, the moratorium has brought economic development to a standstill. City officials anticipate construction of a new sewage treatment plant – completion of which will prompt the state to lift the restrictions – to wrap up in the next two to three years. In the meantime, Pike said he’ll explore alternative funding sources, such as state or federal grants.
Hollister Mayor Robert Scattini, who is also a pilot and airport tenant, was less optimistic.
“We need more people out there, but we can’t afford to have someone out there 24 hours a day. It’s just too expensive at this time,” he said. “Besides, the (Hollister) police department routinely patrols that area.”
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
br******@fr***********.com
.
