Federal Assistance Aids Colorado Firefighting Effort

You are subscribed to American Forces News Articles for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Federal Assistance Aids Colorado Firefighting Effort 06/12/2013 08:06 PM CDT Federal Assistance Aids Colorado Firefighting Effort From a North American Aerospace Command and U.S. Northern Command News Release PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., June 12, 2013 - Federal assistance is being provided in the effort against fires currently burning in southern Colorado. The following support is being provided through formal requests for forces, immediate response authority, or mutual aid agreements: U.S. Air Force Academy -- Support to the incident management team; -- Two trucks and nine firefighters. Peterson Air Force Base and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station -- One Type 1 pumper; -- 11 firefighters; -- Shelter for Department of Defense personnel on Peterson AFB. Buckley Air Force Base -- 5,000-gallon water tender and two-person crew. Fort Carson -- Nine firefighters with two trucks and 1 water tender; -- Four helicopters -- two UH-60 Black Hawks and two CH-47 Chinooks -- are providing bucket drops on the fire. The U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is the forward air refueling point; and -- Four bulldozers are on the scene cutting firebreaks on the north side of the fire. Pending wind shifts from the south, they will stay on station. 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base -- Two C-130 aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System (MAFFS). The Colorado National Guard -- Forty personnel at security checkpoints in the Black Forest area; -- An eight-member National Guard communications element; -- High-clearance trucks and water tenders with 13 personnel; -- Three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with buckets; and -- One UH-72 Lakota helicopter equipped for aerial firefighting coordination. Northcom is the joint combatant command formed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. The command provides homeland defense and defense support to civil authorities. Northcom also provides DOD capabilities for disaster response operations in support of the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Interagency Fire Center, and state and local officials.   Related Sites: U.S. Northern Command North American Aerospace Defense Command Colorado National Guard 302nd Airlift Wing National Interagency Fire Center Federal Emergency Management Agency Modular Airborne Firefighting System Fact Sheet News Release Related Articles: Colorado Guard Troops Battle Black Forest Fire Air Force Reserve C-130s Support Colorado Firefighting Effort Colorado Guard Aircrews Assist in Black Forest Fire Relief   Defense Department News Through Facebook On American Forces Press Service's Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos. Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Forces-Press-Service/65137437532 or search for American Forces Press Service at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your 'User Profile' page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support@govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow servicemembers need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense