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MAFFS certification readies aircrews to fight wildfires

  • Published
With the official wildfire season scheduled to start June 1, approximately 200 Air National Guard and Reserve personnel are beginning an annual certification program this week that will ensure Air Forces Northern, in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, is ready to combat major fires that are certain to erupt in the coming months. 

The certification program was established by the National Interagency Fire Center jointly with the Departments of Agriculture and Interior for U.S. Forest Service and Air Force C-130 flight crews to upgrade their skills to operate aerial firefighting equipment known as the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System. 

A self-contained unit that fits inside a C-130 that discharges water or a flame retardant to douse fires from the air, MAFFS was established by Congress in the early 1970s to create a national response system to better fight major fires. 

Participating in the 10-day certification event in Tucson, Ariz., are Guard and Reserve members from the 153rd Airlift Wing, Cheyenne, Wyo.; 146th AW, Channel Island, Calif.; 145th AW, Charlotte, N.C.; and the 302nd AW, Peterson AFB, Colo. Also attending are several representatives from AFNORTH, which provides command and control coordinating authority over MAFFS equipped aircraft. 

MAFFS was upgraded last year with a second unit known as MAFFS II, which offers safety and other improvements, including a new type of discharge plug that keeps the aircraft pressurized during retardant missions and prevents blowback of the corrosive retardant into the plane's interior. The improvements also allow crew members to move around more freely inside the aircraft.

Cathey Watts, a wildland firefighting planner for AFNORTH, said the annual certification program ensures that C-130 crews are given sufficient opportunities to practice and upgrade their skills in operating the MAFFS and MAFFS II equipment. 

The system consists of either one tank or a series of pressurized fire retardant tanks that are placed on a pallet and loaded onto a C-130. When activated, the red-colored retardant, or 'slurry' as it is sometimes called, is discharged through tubes from the plane into the air over the fire. 

"To make sure the crews are ready to operate this equipment, they have to be certified every year," Ms. Watts said. 

The Air National Guard and Reserve do not respond to every wildfire that erupts across the country, only when requested by the NIFC, Ms. Watts said. She added that military support is normally not sought until late in the fire season, when the Forest Service needs additional assistance. 

"Smoke, haze and winds can be a big factor in sortie success," she said. "We make every effort to be wherever we are needed when we are needed." 

According to NIFC, if the 2009 U.S. wildfire season is anything like those of recent years, when numbers of fires and acres burned have been increasing over previous decades, the nation could potentially endure thousands of fires that could scorch several hundred acres of land and forests, destroy homes and other structures, in addition to threatening the lives of millions of people and wildlife. 

Some states or regions experience more severe and damaging fires than others, depending on weather conditions such as lack of rainfall, drought levels and the preponderance of high winds. Most wildfires are ignited naturally by lightning, while some are man-made. 

According to NIFC, the top three states for wildfires in 2008 were California, Texas and New Mexico. For the 2009 season, NIFC forecasts that California, north-central Washington State, Arizona and New Mexico are the most vulnerable for significant fire potential, and much of Florida is also a major concern. While some states experience only a few major wildfires each year, any state or region of the country is susceptible to this growing menace. 

Based on National Weather Service pre-season predictions, MAFFS teams will undoubtedly be called upon again this year, Ms. Watts said. "They have been able in the past to help save lives and property and are ready to do so again this year."