SACRAMENTO - From the air and on the ground, California National Guardsmen must be equipped with the most advanced technology available to combat fires during the upcoming wildfire season, which U.S. Forest Service officials say could once again be full of action.
Last week, the Guard rolled out two newly acquired, next-generation fire retardant delivery systems, the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System II (MAFFS), as well as three new Tactical Fire Fighting Trucks (TFFT) and two High-Mobility Water Tenders during an event here at McClellan Air Park.
"These new firefighting assets will greatly enhance the capability of the National Guard to support first responders and to protect Californians in natural disasters," said Maj. Gen. William H. Wade II, adjutant general of the California National Guard. "[They] will change the way the California National Guard responds to forest fires."
The receipt of this equipment marks the success of a multi-year process by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other elected officials as well as the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Defense, civilian contractors and other emergency management agencies.
"We asked the federal government to partner with us in supporting our firefighters and were answered with six firefighting trucks and the most modern military firefighting aircraft in the world - all of which will be based here in California permanently," Schwarzenegger said. "We are lucky to have the best and bravest fire fighters and National Guard troops in the world, and they are even more prepared with this new equipment."
Last year, California Army National Guard aircraft dropped 5.5 million gallons of water on California fires, while three Air National Guard and one Air Force Reserve units from other states used MAFFS technology to drop 12 million pounds of fire retardant.
The military’s contributions were greatly needed, as 2,100 lightning strikes ignited more than 1,800 simultaneous fires that charred nearly 1.3 million acres of land.
The MAFFS technology includes a tank that can hold up to 3,900 gallons of water or retardant loaded onto a C-130J aircraft.
The three TFFTs recently acquired by the California National Guard are also state-of-the-art equipment, which Lt. Col. Allen Johnson of Army Material Command referred to as a "Swiss Army knife of firefighting."
The eight-wheel drive, 445-horsepower trucks with four-foot fording clearance each include a 1,000-gallon tank that can be carried up a 60 percent incline or along a 30 percent side slope while the truck is fully loaded to 67,000 pounds.
The lone TFFT the Guard had last year was used at eight fire sites between Big Sur and Crescent City.
In addition, the Guard added two High-Mobility Water Tenders, which also feature all-wheel drive, 445-horsepower engines and 60 percent gradability, but have 2,500-gallon tanks and three-foot fording clearance.
"With the TFFT and the [High-Mobility Water Tenders], we’ll be able to run up the Sierra Nevadas, [and] we’ll be able to take those 2,500 gallons of water," said John Stoddart, executive vice president of Oshkosh Corp., the vehicle manufacturer.
All the new equipment could be called into action later this year to fight California wildfires. U.S. Forest Service Deputy Regional Forester Richard Cook said snow pack and rainfall in the northern part of the state are well below normal for the third consecutive year, meaning the likelihood is high that California National Guard personnel and equipment will be needed.
About 2,400 Guard members were called up last year to fight fires, including 900 who were trained as hand crews and put on the fire line. At one point, more than 21,000 firefighters were simultaneously fighting California’s wildfires.
"The National Guard says ‘Train us to do this,’ and we do. It’s a great relationship," Cal Fire Capt. Michael Ramirez said. "It’s not difficult [to train] when you have motivated individuals, and [Guardsmen] are adults, professionals … seasoned guys. It goes a long way."
The 2009 California wildfire season officially starts in the spring.