CHEYENNE, Wyo. - The Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing has been called in by the U.S. Forest Service to assist with the response to the High Park wildfire near Colorado Springs, Colo.
Two Wyoming Air Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft and crews equipped with the Forest Service's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System will arrive at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., where they will fly missions to suppress the ongoing wildfire.
The Wyoming Air National Guard is one of four military units nationwide equipped with the MAFFS II, capable of dispersing 3,000 gallons of fire retardant per load. Select aircrews from the 153rd Airlift Wing are certified annually, by the Forest Service, to fly the aerial firefighting mission.
The Wyoming Air Guard began aerial firefighting in 1975, with the original Modular Airborne Firefighting System. The unit has fought fires throughout the U.S. and overseas, in Indonesia.