UPDATED at 1:30 p.m. MT, June 23, 2012 to increase the number of MAFFS being activated from two to four.
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Four Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems (MAFFS) C-130 air tankers have been activated to assist in suppressing the numerous wildfires burning in the western United States. This is the first time the MAFFS air tankers have been used this year.
Two MAFFS will be provided by the 153rd Airlift Wing of the Wyoming Air National Guard at Cheyenne and another two will be from the 302nd Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. They will be based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado and are expected to be available to fly wildfire suppression missions by no later than Tuesday, June 26th.
The interagency agreement between the USFS and the Department of Defense requires that MAFFS be operational within 48 hours. However they usually have responded within 36 hours of the initial request.
More information about the MAFFS II system.
I found this thread searching for a video clip I saw on the local news last night. There was some bad ass flying going on by the guy at the controls of one of those Herky Birds working the Flagstaff fire. I hope those guys keep it up and stay safe.
As the questioning of the FS use of tankers becomes more and more prevalent, it seems the go in the opposite direction and use them less and less. The times they have deployed the DC-10s seem like more as a publicity stunt than when they were truely needed. It seems as if they are anticipating the subsequent questioning of their decisions after the fire season. I lived through the Yellowstone fires of ’88 and witnessed this type of BS on the part of the Park Service. At the time the Forest Service seemed like the group that had it together. Not so much anymore. In ’88, I watched as 2 C-130 with the support of a Huey and minimal ground crews bring a fast growing fire outside of the park with huge potential to it’s knees. I was in Ruidoso NM when the Little Bear Fire went from 14 acres to over 10,000 in an afternoon, and it reminded me alot of ’88.
MAAFS doesn’t have the coverage capability due to the pressurized system but, it is certainly better than nothing,,
They need all available hands on deck…
I agree TG. Even if the very large air tankers are not the favorites of the USFS, with the fleet being cut by 80% over the last 10 years, down to 9 now plus a few borrowed ones, what choice would a reasonable person, or agency, have but to use what’s available until they gain an additional 15 to 20 next generation air tankers. The money they are saving by not spending it on an appropriate number of air tankers could be put toward the 747 and the two DC-10s which carry 5 to 10 times more retardant than the P2Vs.
Structures are burning, and the concept of initial attack to include air tankers has been abandoned. There is an unconfirmed report that the Waldo fire 2 miles from Colorado Springs only had 1 helicopter and no air tankers for the first 22 hours.
I am ready to start calling this an Air Tanker Crisis.
Is it just a coincidence that the Waldo Fire is so close to the Air Force Academy? The C-130s should have been deployed weeks ago.
Interesting point, Jim. The fire is about 3 miles away from the Air Force Academy and is and getting closer.
Those Air Force fire fighting systems take some time to get going. Crews have to be notified, systems loaded and tested, then await a launch order from the Forest Service. It’s government bureaucracy at its best.
Why haven’t these been used in the Colorado Fires today? Or have they? I’ve been praying for rain for all of Colorado and other states that are very dry.
Thanks for your informative posts.
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Joan Y. Edwards