| A MAFFS-capable C-130 sits on a ramp at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. A North Carolina Air National Guard MAFFS unit is deployed to Kirtland to lend air support to wildfires in West Texas. |
C-130s answer firefighting call at Kirtland Air Force Base
March 29 , 2006
By Mara Minwegen
377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- During wildfires, ranchers fearing for their livestock and people fearing for their homes probably don’t realize the massive effort and the number of people supporting the military aircraft that drop liquid salvation from the sky. But cooperation between military members and civilians can save acres and lives when wildfires occur.
Two C-130 aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System arrived on Kirtland March 16 and were placed on standby at the air tanker base operated by the Cibola National Forest. MAFFS is a modular unit designed to be inserted into a C-130 to drop up to 2,700 gallons of fire retardant or water at a time.
The aircraft and trained crew were supplied by the 145th Airlift Wing of the North Carolina Air National Guard from Charlotte, N.C., to support initial attack activity in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado.
“The MAFFS mission providing additional airborne firefighting capability to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service is a cooperative effort between military, civilian, local, state, federal and tribal agencies," said Air National Guard Lt. Col. Jeff Perryman, MAFFS mission commander, 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina ANG.
"All of our efforts are directed to the protection and safeguarding of people and property whenever we fly. Our Air National Guard aircrews and maintenance personnel are ready to deploy anywhere in the United States throughout the annual fire season.”
If a fire escalates to the point where the MAFFS crew is needed, they can be loaded and ready to fly in about two hours, said ANG MAFFS liaison, ANG Lt. Col. Rick Gibson.
The MAFFS unit has been in operation for more than 30 years and may be used more this year because of the combination of severe fire danger and the reduced availability of civilian tankers, Gibson said. ANG and Air Force Reserve units with MAFFS capabilities are usually activated for 30 days.
“We take our job seriously and know that our best efforts mean people on the ground will have homes, businesses and lives to return to after a wildfire incident,” Perryman said.
The use of military tanker aircraft in conjunction with MAFFS involves a series of steps beginning with the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, where the decision is made whether or not MAFFS is required. U.S. Northern Command, Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command are also involved, providing coordination with ANG and Air Force Reserve units.