Veteran Chopper Pilot And First Woman Hired At OCFA Claims Gender Discrimination For Dismissal

Lake Forest CA

23 July, 2021

5:16 PM

Description

By CBSLA Staff, CBS Los Angeles: IRVINE (CBSLA) – A protest was held outside the Orange County Fire Authority's headquarters Thursday in support of a veteran woman chopper pilot, the agency's first, who was terminated during her probationary period. "She is the best fire pilot I ever flew with," retired firefighter Boschko Ikovic, who last flew with Desiree Horton in a Bell 205 helicopter above the Colby Fire, said. "We depended on her with the water underneath the helicopter, whether it was a Bambi bucket or a belly tank, and when we flew on our missions, I was cutting the fire line and Desiree never missed." For 30 years, Horton has been a trailblazer in the sky, including a 10-year stretch with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the first woman to ever fly for CAL FIRE, and now she's claiming gender discrimination. Read more at CBSLA CBS Local Digital Media personalizes the global reach of CBS-owned and operated television and radio stations with a local perspective.