Fallen Contract Pilots' Kin Sue Cal Fire Over Benefits

Although they died fighting wildfires, the families of 14 contract pilots didn't receive death benefits from Cal Fire.

And, a suit filed last week by the fallen pilots' kin also alleges "high level executives of Cal Fire, including the current director of Cal Fire, the current deputy director of Cal Fire (and their predecessors) ... engaged in a pattern of deceit and deception specifically designed to hide the existence of (the benefit) from the survivors and dissuade them from seeking any such death benefit from Cal Fire," The Sacramento Bee reported.

The suit seeks $4M plus interest for the survivors.

A Cal Fire spokeswoman told a reporter in an e-mail that the agency has been reviewing records to ensure that past Cal Fire contracted pilots have also received them,

The state statute requires Cal Fire to pay a one-time death benefit if a contracted pilot flying a firefighting aircraft “dies while performing the duties specified in the contract,” documents showed.

Survivors say U.S. Forest Service contracts are covered by the law because the pilots perform firefighting duties for the state.

Paul Goyette, the attorney representing the families, told the reporter said that the department “has never followed the law, not once,” leaving some grieving families to struggle financially after their primary breadwinner perished.