An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | May 6, 2016

As wildfire season approaches, Air teams practice with MAFFS units

By 2nd Lt. Stephen J. Collier 302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

CHANNEL ISLANDS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Calif. – More than 400 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airmen from across the country gathered this week to be certified on the military's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, known as MAFFS, in preparation for the 2016 wildland fire season.

Airmen from four ANG wings, together with the Air Force Reserve's 302nd Airlift Wing, took part in classroom-based briefings and training as well as C-130 flying operations. Military flight instructors trained alongside U.S. Forest Service aircrew flying in mountainous terrain over simulated fire lines, while ground crew members honed their skills servicing the aircraft and reloading the MAFFS units at the tanker base located at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station in Port Hueneme, California. Military and civilian agencies synchronize and coordinate during this training in order to ensure fluid processes during firefighting operations.

Col. Scott Sanders, MAFFS Air Expeditionary Group commander, said the training had gone well for aircrews this year.

"MAFFS is an inter-agency partnership. We train as we fight - together. It is far and away one of our most satisfying missions," said Sanders, who is assigned to the 153rd AW, Wyoming Air National Guard. "One of the reasons we enjoy flying it is to see the immediate results of our efforts."

Throughout certification week, 80 C-130 aircrews will have flown approximately 200 training sorties, performing targeted water drops in the mountains of Southern California's Angeles National Forest. Once flying operations end, it's estimated that 1.5 million gallons of water will have been dropped.

Kim Christensen, National Interagency Fire Center deputy assistant director of operations for fire and aviation management, said the wildland fire potential for 2016 was "normal, significant."

"The 2016 fire season prediction for the country has been pegged at a normal, significant fire potential," Christensen said. "There are two areas that are pointing to above average fire potential out West, including the Great Basin in Nevada and areas throughout Southern California."

In previous years, requests for MAFFS support has increased. The average fire season, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, has increased by 64 to 72 days.

During an activation to support wildland fire suppression, MAFFS units can drop up to 3,000 gallons of retardant per run on wildfires. Retardant is dropped ahead of a fire in an effort to slow its spread, giving ground crews a critical edge in gaining the upper hand on the blaze. The retardant's bright red color also helps aircrews determine the accuracy of their drops.

MAFFS is a partnership between federal land management agencies and the Air Force to provide supplemental air tankers to assist in fire suppression efforts nationwide during times of high fire activity. The system itself is a portable fire retardant delivery system that can be easily inserted into the C-130 Hercules, converting the vessel into an air tanker when civilian fleets have been fully committed.

The Air Force's MAFFS aerial firefighting fleet is supported by the Air Force Reserve's 302nd Air Wing, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado., and the Air National Guard's 153rd Air Wing, located in Cheyenne, Wyoming; the 146th Air Wing, based at Channel Islands, California.; and the 145th Air Wing in Charlotte, North Carolina. Recently, the National Guard Bureau selected the 152nd Airlift Wing with the Nevada Air National Guard in Reno to replace the 145th Air Wing as the North Carolina-based unit begins its transition to the C-17 Globemaster III.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers with the Army National Guard speak with D.C. locals while patrolling Metro Center Aug 26, 2025. About 2,000 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work, and visit the District.
Guard Members From Six States, D.C. on Duty in Washington in Support of Local, Fed Authorities
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Aug. 29, 2025
WASHINGTON – More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from six states and the District of Columbia are on duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia in support of local and federal...

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Russel Honore, Task Force Katrina commander, and Brig. Gen. John Basilica, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, talk to news media during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita on Sep. 29, 2005. Basilica was appointed commander of Task Force Pelican, responsible for coordinating National Guard hurricane response efforts across the State. The task force included tens of thousands of National Guard Soldiers from Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Guard’s Tiger Brigade Marks 20th Anniversary of Redeployment and Hurricane Response
By Rhett Breerwood, | Aug. 29, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the...

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk aviators and Guardian Angels, assigned to the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, respectively, conduct a hoist rescue demonstration while participating in a multi-agency hoist symposium at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 22, 2025. The symposium, hosted by Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, included U.S. Coast Guard crews assigned to Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic out of Air Stations Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescue squadrons, U.S. Army aviators from Fort Wainwright’s 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska State Troopers, and civilian search and rescue professional volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The collaborative training drew on the participants’ varied backgrounds, experiences, and practices, to enhance hoist proficiency and collective readiness when conducting life-saving search and rescue missions in Alaska’s vast and austere terrain. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)
Alaska Air Guard Conducts Multiple Hoist Rescues of Stranded Rafters on Kichatna River
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Aug. 29, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued three rafters Aug. 28 after their raft flipped over on the Kichatna River.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened...