Over one million gallons of fire retardant have been dropped this fire season by military aerial firefighting units such as the ‘High Rollers’ of the Nevada Air National Guard and the support continues.
“It’s very rewarding knowing you are helping so many people,” said Tech. Sgt. Paul Teska, a MAFFS flight engineer with the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard. Teska is also a former wildland firefighter.
Fire Fighting Systems
“I remember being on the ground, looking up, and seeing the planes dropping retardant. Being a part of the machine that is MAFFS, and just firefighting in general, is a great feeling.” C-130 aircraft equipped with USDA Forest Service-provided Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems activated in late July for firefighting efforts in California.
The 152nd is flying on behalf of a Secretary of Defense-approved USDA Forest Service Request
The devastating 2020 fire season has resulted in the High Rollers having their longest activation to date since beginning the MAFFS mission in 2016. The 152nd is flying on behalf of a Secretary of Defense-approved USDA Forest Service Request. During this record-setting fire season, the 152nd MAFFS unit has made 109 drops and flew more than 110 sorties, dropping more than 300,000 gallons of retardant on fires across California.
Suppressing wildland fires
These numbers will continue to grow as the unit is still helping to suppress wildland fires. “We are grateful of the High Rollers’ dedication to our nation during a time of great need,” said Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce, Commander, First Air Force, Air Forces Northern.
“They are performing a highly-complex mission having to fly very low to the ground in mountainous terrain while dealing with poor visibility from smoke and flames. Their specialized training prepares them for such challenges.” Air Forces Northern, U.S. Northern Command's Air Component Command, is the DoD operational lead for the mission. In addition to training, relationships are key to the total team effort.
Wildland firefighting efforts
MAFFS-equipped C-130 aircraft units are employed as surge support for firefighting
“All the support partners keep the mission strong and moving forward to include the Forest Service, CAL Fire, and the MAFFS units,” said Lt. Col. Erik Brown, 152nd Maintenance Group deputy commander and evaluator pilot with the 152nd Operations Group. “The support from these entities, and all the groups in the Nevada Air Guard, is instrumental to making the mission happen.”
MAFFS-equipped C-130 aircraft units are employed as surge support for firefighting when civilian firefighting assets are at capacity. When deployed to support wildland firefighting efforts, MAFFS units stand by for a call from dispatch centers based on requests from civilian Incident Commanders. When requested, the flight crew responds to the fire using the air tanker to build lines on containment with retardant to help reduce the intensity and slow the growth of the fire.
Inter-Agency wildfire operations
This fire season has seen the need for all four military MAFFS units to fly missions: the 152nd Airlift Wing, the 302nd Air Force Reserve Command from Colorado Springs, the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming National Guard and the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard.
Firefighting assets across the country and internationally have come to aid in the fight against the unprecedented western wildfires. According to CAL Fire, more acres have been burned in California in 2020 than any other year on record. In addition, this year has seen the state’s largest fire-the Creek Fire, which has burned more than 300,000 acres. “Our DOD team is extremely proud of their support to state and inter-agency wildfire operations,” said Pierce.
