President visits Northstate

For the first time  since President John F. Kennedy's visit in 1963, the nation's commander and chief came to the Northstate. 

On Thursday President George W. Bush arrived at the Redding Municipal Airport aboard Air Force One for a briefing on the state's wildfires from state and local officials and to survey fire damage during an aerial tour of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Arriving in Redding with the president was Congressman Wally Herger, Congressman John Doolittle, and  and Senator Dianne Feinstein, who were greeted as they exited Air Force One by Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger.

The president's first point of business was to be introduced to three Shasta County Eagle Scouts, Mark Hendricks, 20, Jake Wellman, 18, and Alex Braden, 20, whom he thanked for being instrumental in the long-range planning and execution the U.S. Forest Service's largest national service project since World War II.

Following his briefing on the wildfires in the area, the president boarded a helicopter and took a tour of fire camps and scorched forests near Shasta Lake. He also met with U.S. Forest Service "smokejumpers" who have been parachuting down to cut fire lines.

Following his tour and upon returning to the Redding Municipal Airport President Bush spoke with the press pool.

"I always come to make sure the federal government is coordinating closely with the state government," President Bush said. "I know Gov. Schwarzenegger well enough to know that if we weren't, he'd let me know."

Though not detailing any specific federal aid for California, Bush went on to say, "I would like to just let the people out here to know that we're paying attention to you in Washington D.C. We care about you and we will respond as best as we possibly can."

Bush also praised the work of firefighters, particularly the smokejumpers.

"These are unusual people who are very courageous, dedicated individuals," he said.

Schwarzenegger thanked federal officials for deploying 80 percent of available resources to help with the California wildfires.

"We know how good our firefighters are," the governor said. "We can fight 20 fires at one time because our firefighters are the greatest of all time. But when you have 2,000 fires all at one time, that's a little much - even for us. We need help."

Feinstein, who has requested $910 million in emergency funding for fire suppression and prevention efforts in California and elsewhere, said in an interview that she is hopeful the federal government will respond to the state's needs.

After receiving his briefing on the fires, Bush visited a room at the airport where more than 40 smokejumpers were making repairs on parachutes and preparing their gear for fire duty.

He stopped before John Casey. After Casey, 38, told the president he had made more than 200 fire jumps in his career, Bush quipped: "I couldn't handle it."

When lightning storms set off thousands of wildfires in California, Greg Fashano, a Redding smoke jumper squad leader, said he was astonished by what he saw from the air.

"There were little fires popping up as far as your eyes could see," said Fashano, who made two jumps and also directed other crews parachuting to fight the flames. "It was just amazing the amount of fires all at once. And over the next days, it got really big."

Following President Bush's statements on the wildfires, he left the airport on Air Force One at approximately 4:30 p.m.