Aircrews, maintainers gear up for wildfire season

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephen Collier
  • 302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
TUCSON, Ariz. (AFNS) --  Reserve and Air National Guard Airmen earned their certifications on the Military Airborne Firefighting System during training May 3 through 9 here.

C-130 Hercules aircrews flew MAFFS training missions from the Tucson International Airport from sun up to sundown to finalize their annual certification by the U.S. Forest Service, which ensures the Air Force aircrews are ready to go if called to fight wildfires. 

"It's a very challenging mission that makes you feel good, like you've really made a difference at the end of the day," said Maj. Michael Savage, a 731st Airlift Squadron instructor pilot from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and a MAFFS flyer for seven years. "This is my favorite mission for many reasons. It gives us the opportunity to directly support our own people in our own backyard."

Each year, the Reserve 302nd Airlift Wing and three airlift wings from the Air National Guard support the MAFFS mission. If the fire season heats up, California's Air National Guard unit, the 146th Airlift Wing at Channel Islands, will redesignate as the 146th Air Expeditionary Group. The redesignation allows the Air Force to give the 146th AW the lead on operations, with the other units falling under its leadership umbrella.

Aircrews and aircraft maintainers perform the certification annually at the request of the Forest Service. Maintenance Airmen and civilians ensure the C-130s are in top-notch condition before a mission.

When it comes to the MAFFS, the Forest Service retains ownership of the systems, servicing them continually, especially during the drier seasons. The military units ensure their people are ready to fly them.

"The Forest Service and the Air Force have been doing this mission together for 39 years, and that's a fairly sizable time frame to be involved in something," said Lynn Ballard, a MAFFS 2009 training and certification fire information officer.

"There are contract air tankers out there, and in recent years the fleet has been reduced due to the age of their fleet," he said. "The Air Force Reserve has some aircraft, and they have the ability to support this surge when they need it. They also have the personnel to operate the equipment and the folks who maintain the aircraft have the ability to support the mission as well."

The Air Force brings a "surge capability" when the civilian aerial firefighting fleet just isn't enough, said Mr. Ballard, who has 10 years experience with the MAFFS mission.

"Equipment and personnel are two key ingredients to support this mission," he said. "People don't have to do this job; they want to do the job of aerial firefighting."

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