DOD aircraft join firefighting efforts in Texas, Northwest US

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TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --  Under the direction of the Joint Forces Air Component Commander for Air Forces Northern here, six Defense Department C-130 Hercules equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems will deploy in support of the National Interagency Fire Center to supplement wildland firefighting efforts in Texas and in the Northwest U.S.

The DOD, via U.S. Northern Command, provides support to the NIFC in conducting wildland firefighting operations within the continental United States, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as approved by the Secretary of Defense. AFNORTH is the air component for U.S. Northern Command and when tasked, provides support to local, state, tribal, regional and federal emergency service agencies.

Four MAFFS-equipped C-130s -- two from the Air Force Reserve Command 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and two from the North Carolina Air National Guard145th Airlift Wing -- will deploy to Austin, Texas, to fight the ongoing wildland fires there. Two MAFFS equipped C-130s and crews from the Wyoming ANG 153rd Airlift Wing will stage out of Boise, Idaho, to provide support as needed for fires in the West and Northwest U.S. In addition to the six MAFFS-equipped C-130s, approximately 90 Air Reserve Component crews and support personnel will deploy to support the aerial firefighting missions.

MAFFS is a self-contained, portable aerial firefighting system that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds over an area one-quarter of a mile long by 60 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, the MAFFS system can be refilled in less than 12 minutes.

With the use of new MAFFS II units, this year's fire season was the first to successfully fly fire missions using a new concept of operations that increased the effectiveness while decreasing costs, officials said.

(Courtesy of Air Forces Nothern Public Affairs)