BOISE – On Friday, two Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with MAFFS will deploy to Airtanker Base Boise to help deal with increased fire activity in several western states, including the ‘Idaho and Oregon.
The USDA Forest Service has requested assistance from the plane, which belongs to the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing and the Nevada Air National Guard’s 152nd Airlift Wing. Both planes will join the USDA Forest Service and other wildfire agencies battling wildfires in the West.
“We greatly appreciate the assistance of our military partners,” said Kim Christensen, assistant deputy director of operations for the USDA Forest Service. “These aircraft will help provide additional capability for aerial firefighting.”
C-130 aircraft are equipped with the US Forest Service’s MAFFS, which can drop up to 3,000 gallons of flame retardant in less than 10 seconds over a quarter-mile line. The system slips into the rear of the military aircraft and the retarder is released through a nozzle located at the left rear.
On September 6, the National Wildfire Preparedness Level was raised to 4 (out of 5), indicating an increase in wildfire activity in the United States. The level was raised by the Multi-Agency Coordination Group (NMAC), made up of wildfire representatives from each wildfire agency based at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho.
The NIFC is the national support center for fighting forest fires. Eight different agencies and organizations are part of the NIFC, including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, US Forest Service, National Weather Service, US Fire Administration and the National Association of States. Foresters.
