More Military Air Tankers Join Fight on Wildland Fires

You are subscribed to American Forces News Articles for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. More Military Air Tankers Join Fight on Wildland Fires 06/24/2013 10:36 AM CDT More Military Air Tankers Join Fight on Wildland Fires From a 145th Air Expeditionary Group News Release BOISE, Idaho, June 24, 2013 - Two more Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped military C-130 aircraft are joining the battle against wildland fires in Colorado. The U.S. Forest Service requested the additional aircraft through the National Interagency Fire Center here. Two aircraft from the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing, based in Port Hueneme, Calif., deployed yesterday to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. They join two C-130s from Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing, based at Peterson, which have been engaged in aerial firefighting for more than a week. The two California aircraft bring the MAFFS fleet to four airplanes. The request is in response to an increase in wildland fire activity in southern Colorado and neighboring states and the significant fire potential forecast for the coming week, officials said. MAFFS initially activated June 11 to assist in fighting forest fires in southern Colorado after the Forest Service sent a request for assistance to the Defense Department through U.S. Northern Command. Since activating, MAFFS aircraft have made 36 drops using 93,830 gallons of fire retardant. MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system owned by the Forest Service. MAFFS modules are loaded into the cargo bays of military C-130 aircraft. Led by small Forest Service planes, military aircrews can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant from the MAFFS modules along the leading edge of a forest fire in less than five seconds and cover an area a quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, ground crews at a MAFFS tanker base can refill the modules in less than 12 minutes. A joint Defense Department and Forest Service program, MAFFS provides aerial firefighting resources when commercial and private air tankers are no longer able to meet the Forest Service's needs. A provisional military air expeditionary group controls the MAFFS resources at the Forest Service's direction.   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