PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – Two Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) and under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command are assisting with wildfire suppression efforts in the Northwest, Great Basin, and elsewhere in the West at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho.
As of July 20, 2014, DoD aircraft have conducted 25 air drops and discharged more than 41,300 gallons of retardant.
Specific information by fire within the last 24 hours is below:
Hard Scramble, ID-- Two (2) air drops -- App. 3,020 gallons of retardant
Skull, ID-- Four (4) air drops -- App. 5,800 gallons of retardant
Mack, ID-- Three (3) air drops – 8,890 gallons of retardant
The supporting unit flying the MAFFS mission is the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard located in Cheyenne, WY.
USNORTHCOM provides DOD capabilities for disaster response operations in support of the Department of Homeland Security / Federal Emergency Management Agency / National Interagency Fire Center, state and local officials and continues to closely monitor wildfires to anticipate requests for DOD assistance.
Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard C-130 aircraft assigned to units in California, Colorado, North Carolina and Wyoming are capable of dropping fire retardant using U.S. Forest Service MAFFS units. Aircrews, maintenance crews and support personnel undergo special NIFC training and certification to perform these missions each year.