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Press Release | July 21, 2017

USNORTHCOM lends support for wildfires

NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affairs

PETERSON AFB, Colo.  –   U.S. Northern Command will support wildfire suppression efforts in California, Great Basin, and the Northern Rockies geographic areas by providing one Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems. The National Interagency Fire Center requested the assistance yesterday and the MAFFS aircraft along with command, control and support personnel are deploying to support.

The supporting unit flying the MAFFS mission is the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, based in Reno, Nev.

Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard C-130 aircraft are capable of dropping fire retardant using U.S. Forest Service MAFFS systems. Aircrews, maintenance crews and support personnel undergo special NIFC training and certification to perform these missions each year.

USNORTHCOM provides DOD capabilities for disaster response operations in support of lead Federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Interagency Fire Center, state and local officials. The command continues to closely monitor wildfires to anticipate requests for DOD assistance.