ASTREA helicopter technicians include Fallbrook resident

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

You see them overhead and hear the helicopters' loudspeakers announcing information when searching for a missing person or suspect.

ASTREA (Aerial Support to Regional Enforcement Agencies) is a countywide asset directed by the San Diego Sheriff's Department that has been providing support to the department and partner agencies since 1971. It currently has six helicopters. Countywide, it averages 2,000 missions each year to support patrol, as well as fire and rescue calls around the clock.

A team of seven helicopter technicians are responsible for maintaining the helicopters. Fallbrook resident James Stubbs has more than 20 years of experience with the team, based at Gillespie Field in El Cajon.

Heather Mitchell, crime specialist assigned to the Fallbrook Sheriff's substation, met recently with ASTREA pilot Sgt. Scott Bligh for her annual interview about services the program provides, including topics prevalent to this area such as fire prevention.

The partnership includes Cal Fire. When there's a fire, the helicopters carry a SDSD pilot, Cal Fire captain (in front with the pilot), and Cal Fire crew in the back that would be deployed during a wildfire.

The aircraft technicians are responsible for the safety of deputies, search and rescue crews, and fire personnel, Mitchell said. Collectively, the seven technicians have more than 100 years of aircraft experience. They are required to have a Class A driver's license to drive Tender fuel trucks carrying almost 3,000 gallons of fuel to a scene for helicopter refueling and are on call during a wildfire. They work on rotation seven days a week.

The technicians are all radio-trained to be able to hear and understand transmissions. They must have three years of helicopter maintenance experience because each helicopter costs about $5.3 million, with the cost going up every year, according to the aircraft maintenance supervisor, Mike Koerber.

They regularly handle maintenance of the three Bell 205 and three Bell 407 helicopters to ensure they are following FAA standards.

When working a wildfire, the maintenance crew will follow the helicopters to the fire for the duration of the fire with fuel for the helicopters, even camping with the tanker if needed so as to not leave it unattended. Sometimes these are very rural areas.

For residents of North County, they are more likely to see the ASTREA helicopter when deputies are looking for a missing person or a suspect in a crime. To help them when they can't understand the broadcast, the sheriff's department started offering a new service late in 2020. Residents can now call or text "Hello" to 858-866-HELO (4356) to receive helicopter messages straight to their phone.

According to the department's website, "this is not an automated or a push notification service. The caller still needs to call or text "Hello" to 858-866-HELO (4356) each time they hear Sheriff's ASTREA making announcements over their area. While this program is free, the caller might have to pay to receive text messages depending on their phone plan."