DVIDS – News – Airborne Firefighting models take part in interagency spring coaching in Idaho

GOWEN FIELD, Idaho – Lower than two years after probably the most devastating firefighting season in the USA, the Modular Airborne Hearth Preventing System (MAFFS) spring coaching befell at Gowen Discipline, Idaho, April 25-29, 2022.

Since 1974, the U.S. Forest Service and Division of Protection have operated below the joint program utilizing the Modular Airborne Hearth Preventing System, extra generally generally known as MAFFS, which is employed by rolling into the again of a army C-130 plane.

MAFFS is activated by the Forest Service to bolster wildfire suppression efforts when all business air tankers are absolutely dedicated or not available. That is by way of an settlement between the USDA, Forest Service and the Division of Protection. MAFFS may also be activated to be used on state fires by the Governors of the states the place the Air Nationwide Guard flight crews are based mostly.

“Spring coaching is the place we knock off the cobwebs,” mentioned Chief Grasp Sgt. Cameron Pieters, flight engineer assigned to the 152nd Operations Group. “We haven’t flown any aerial firefighting since final season and that is to organize us and get us prepared for the upcoming fireplace season.”

Throughout this 12 months’s spring coaching, MAFFS outfitted army C-130s flew a complete of 149 sorties, 184.52 hours, disbursing of a complete of 433,065 gallons of water in 902 drops throughout a number of drop zones across the Boise and Gowen Discipline space.

“We’re grateful for the group help offered by the individuals close to Gowen Discipline, Idaho as our flight and plane floor crew members achieved intense and very important wildfire coaching to be prepared for the nation’s wants,” mentioned Air Power Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce, commander, First Air Power, Air Forces Northern. “I’m additionally happy with the dedication and teamwork of the army joint pressure and interagency group.”

The 4 army MAFFS models embody: the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air Nationwide Guard; the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air Nationwide Guard; the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air Nationwide Guard and the 302nd Airlift Wing, Air Power Reserve, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Every MAFFS unit has two C-130s recognized by a giant orange quantity on each aspect of the C-130 plane and on its tail. Respectively, the Nevada Air Nationwide Guard has tails 8 and 9; Wyoming Air Nationwide Guard has tails 1 and three; California Air Nationwide Guard has tails 4 and 6; and the 302nd Airlift Wing, Air Power Reserve has numbers 2 and 5.

“This can be a large joint operation and to ensure that us to achieve success, it takes a variety of relationship constructing,” mentioned Maj. Alex Kassebaum, 192nd Airlift Squadron Director of Operations.

The companies concerned with the coaching included the Division of Protection, the U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA), the Forest Service, the Nationwide Interagency Hearth Middle (NIFC), the Bureau of Land Administration and CAL FIRE.

Spring coaching is a chance for the air and floor crews to refine and sharpen their abilities to function as an efficient group, in addition to to coach and certify new members of the group.

“It’s about stepping into the fitting mindset,” mentioned Pieters. “As a flight engineer it’s our duty to help the pilots, we undergo the checklists, we monitor all of the techniques. Having good communication with the opposite crew members ensures now we have a secure flight.”

“Final season was a giant firefighting season for us,” mentioned Pieters. “We have been deployed for 96 days and as a MAFFS group, we dropped almost 23 million kilos of fireside retardant.”

Roughly 70,000 wildfires burn a median of about 6.5 million acres of land in the USA annually. Airtankers are used to drop fireplace retardant to cut back the depth and sluggish the expansion of wildfires in order that firefighters on the bottom can construct containment traces round them. Airtankers should not sometimes used to drop fireplace retardant to suppress wildfires immediately.

Within the occasion of activation through the fireplace 12 months, First Air Power (AFNORTH), U.S. Northern Command’s Air Element Command, is the DoD’s operational lead for the aerial army efforts to help USDA Forest Service-Nationwide Interagency Hearth Middle requests for fireplace suppression help.