Air Force Aids California Firefighting

The wildfire season in California has been unusually widespread this year. The AP reports that over 1100 square miles of forest and brush has burned so far and the fires continue.

Civilian firefighters are being aided by a number of military units, some from the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve's 302d Airlift Wing, operating out of Peterson Air Force Base, CO. Lt Col Ronald A. Wilt is the Deputy Commander, and Master Sgt. Jeffrey Flight is the senior loadmaster for the wing. They are currently in Colorado, having been rotated out of the area of operations to rest.

Msgt. Flight described the aircraft and systems used. They fly the C-130, which is a 4 engine turboprop aircraft designed to deliver cargo onto and out of short runways. It has a ramp in the rear that opens for that purpose.

Flight states that the Wing presently uses the MAFF system for firefighting. It consists of five tanks and piping that run the length of the aircraft. Retardant is disbursed via a system of hoses that is lowered from the open ramp during flight. The MAFFS2 system is in the process of being brought into use.

MAFFS allows the dispersal of retardant in four levels, with level 4 being the thickest. MAFFS2 will improve that ability to level six. Some civilian aircraft have the capability to reach a level 8.

Aircraft are stations as close to the fire area as possible. Wilt's last mission staged out of Sacramento. Ground crew is a mix of Forest Service personnel and Air Force personnel.

The retardant is a powder mixed with water, making the result an syrup like material that is 12% heavier than water. It is initially red in color, to mark the drop, but in a matter of days will lose its color and degrade to a form that acts as a fertilizer.

The aircraft has a crew of 6, four in the front and two loadmasters in the rear. The drop is initiated by the co-pilot and the loadmasters have the ability to manually make the drop if necessary.

Wilts described a typical drop run as moving 140 feet above the foliage and dispersing the entire load in 8 seconds. The system can disperse in increments, as well. To balance the 28,000 pounds of retardant, the five tanks are drained in a balanced pattern. The drop zone, with a complete drop, will cover a space 150 yards wide by 450 yards long.

The aircraft can be turned around for another drop in about 25 minutes, though Lt Col Wilts has seen it done in as little as 11 minutes. A fully loaded aircraft weighs 140,000 pounds at takeoff.

There are a total of 8 C-130 aircraft configured to fight wildland fires stationed throughout the United States.

Msgt Flight described the pride that the unit takes in its mission. Volunteers are plentiful for a mission that he described as "helping your neighbors in need". The Wing has 13 crews certified for firefighting.

Lt Col Wilts said that the 302nd Wing assumed this mission in 1993. For these California fires they have their two aircraft and three flight crews deployed. The crews rotate on a weekly basis. During his last rotation, the unit conducted 25 drops on 4-5 fires.

The Air Force Reserve's 302d Airlift Wing also has crews deployed supporting the War on Terror.