Firefighting mission takes C-130 to its limits

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Luke Johnson
  • 302nd Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AFPN) --  Airmen in the sky are giving firefighters on the ground the upper hand in battling the blazes across the state, California forest officials said.

Flying specially equipped C-130 Hercules, members of the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group are a valuable resource for firefighters in helping slow down the spread of the wildfires, said Thom Porter from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

The Airmen are part of a unified military support effort to assist to the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Forestry and Protection and the National Interagency Fire Center.

"Aerial retardant slows the spread of the fire so effectively, it can reduce the size of a fire that a ground crew has to deal with," Mr. Porter said. "Aircraft do not put out fires, firefighters on the ground do. And in order for firefighters on the ground to put out fires, oftentimes the aerial resources we are using allow that to happen."

The requirement for aerial support is determined on the ground, at the site of the fire.

"The (incident commanders) will determine if they need a big aircraft, a small aircraft or helicopter," Mr. Porter said.

Flying out of McClellan Air Field here, Lt. Col. Michael Barkdull, the 302nd AEG mission commander, said fighting the California wildfires is the most thrilling thing he has done.

"It's one of those things gets your blood going and your adrenaline up. It kind of scares you a little bit," Colonel Barkdull said.

Colonel Barkdull said the aerial firefighting mission takes the C-130 to its limits.

"This is a big airplane, a lot of mass and momentum going on, and you have to slow the airplane down just on the edge of what is the stall speed for the aircraft," Colonel Barkdull said.

He says that prior to a fire retardant drop, a lead plan guides the modular airborne firefighting system-equipped -equipped C-130 to the location of the drop site. Then both the lead plan and the C-130 perform a practice run on the drop area.

"We have what is called a show me run, where our lead plane pilot (in a smaller plane) shows us where he wants us to drop," Colonel Barkdull said. "He describes the start point and where he wants the line to run, and advises us on wind conditions and hazards.

"On the actual run, we tighten up close to the lead plane, slowing down to 120 or less knots right before we push over a steep mountain ridge. Once the plane starts down the ridge, it starts moving very fast due to the weight. When the weight comes off (as we drop fire retardant), we pull up; it is quite a thrill ride."

The C-130s are not only dropping fire retardant where it's needed, the aircrews are also providing a moral boost for the firefighters on the ground as they work to put out the fires, forest officials said.

The ground crews get a big boost when they know that there is air support ready to assist, Mr. Porter said.

"(When you are) out on the fire line, as a firefighter, just knowing that something is coming, or seeing something over the ridge, is very comforting," he said.

U.S. Northern Command officials are monitoring the California wildfires in anticipation of additional requests for Department of Defense assistance to local, federal and state civil authorities and will launch as many missions as needed by those battling the wildfires, they said.

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