SAN DIEGO -- After the October wildfires, the California Department of Forestry was criticized for not using San Diego military helicopters to help fight the fires. Now, the CDF is working to make that possible for future fires, 10News reported.

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See How CDF, Military Plan To Protect County From Fires

In a scene reminiscent of a Hollywood movie, air crews from the CDF, the National Guard and the Navy met at Gillespie Field. Their mission is to see if they could work -- when needed -- as one unit.

Cdr. Jim Ellinger, a Navy pilot, said, "The way they do business and the way we do business is pretty close. The way they set up a protected space around a fire is similar to the way we set up space around a carrier."

During the Cedar and Paradise fires, CDF was reluctant to use Navy and Marine pilots.

"They still have to have the basic training and the knowledge of how to act in the air space or they become a hazard," said CDF Chief Charles Maner.

The National Guard is already certified to fly for CDF. The National Guard has units outfitted with buckets, helmets, radios and fire protection gear.

CDF Engineer Shane Vargas said, "This is all the stuff that we supply to them. We know they have the right equipment monitored by us so we can all work together."

But even qualified National Guard pilots said when they arrived to the Cedar fire, the conditions were more than they expected.

Maj. Bruce Malarky, a National Guard pilot, said, "The aircraft we had were in advertant meteorological conditions. They couldn't see more than a mile so there was no way to fly the aircraft at that point."

One of the CDF's main concern is certifying active duty Navy and Marine pilots who may end up deployed or transferred.

Having a naval reserve unit that flies helicopters to and from San Clemente Island may be part of a solution. The pilots are already certified by the Navy to fight fires. However, the commanding officer of H-C 85 said, it is not enough.

"I wouldn't expect their pilots to know what to do when they came into a carrier for a landing. It would be the same thing I would need to receive training from them on how to do that," Ellinger said.

That training could get under way by early spring with military assets available to help if needed by summer.