San Diego's two city-owned firefighting helicopters may be flying nighttime water-dropping missions in county areas in time for this fall's fire season.
California's state fire agency says it expects to reach an agreement with the city by October.
The county board of supervisors also greenlit a plan Tuesday to open negotiations with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to put county equipment into nighttime service in the rural areas where the largest wildfires often start.
Deputy Chief Bill Payne says the county will need to invest in multimillion-dollar twin-engine helicopters before he will consider lifting a controversial ban on nighttime water drops put in place because of safety concerns.
