ARLINGTON, Va. - National Guard members from four states are continuing efforts to thwart the Texas wildfires that have scorched 1.6 million acres of land and destroyed 244 homes, Guard officials said here.
Since April 18, about 60 Army and Air National Guard members from California, North Carolina, Texas and Wyoming have been working with active duty service members and Reservists around the clock to fight the wildfires with ground suppression support packages and Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS.
"I'm very impressed with how our MAFFS crews from California, North Carolina and Wyoming were able to mobilize so quickly and forward deploy to Texas to support our state and federal inter-agency partners,” said Air Force Gen. Harry Wyatt, director of the Air National Guard.
“Despite supporting several domestic and overseas operations, they were able to answer the call for help. I appreciate the service these Airmen are providing as well as the support and sacrifices of their family members. My thoughts and prayers are with the citizens of Texas and all of the emergency responders working to mitigate this disaster," Wyatt said.
“We have a unique capability with our Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System aboard C-130 aircraft,” Air Force Lt. Col. Dave Condit, 302nd Air Expeditionary Group deputy commander, said in an Air Force North release.
“The MAFFS are able to drop 3,000 gallons of retardant from their tanks in under five seconds, cover an area one-quarter mile long, and refill in less than 12 minutes,” he said. “For these operations in Texas, our objective is to supplement existing large air tanker support from the USDA Forest Service.”
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has requested a major disaster declaration which would make the state eligible for federal assistance in responding to and recovering from the emergency.
The Department of Homeland Security National Operations Center has upgraded the wildfires to a “Phase One Awareness Event,” which signifies a man-made event, natural disaster or other event that could impact critical infrastructure.
In support of the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing, the North Carolina ANG’s 145th AW and the Wyoming ANG’s 153rd AW have stood up at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, as the air tanker base of operations for the MAFFS mission.
In the AFNORTH release, Air Force Col. Jack Pittman, 302nd AEG commander, spoke to the importance good organization and Total Force cooperation plays into the completion of this mission.
"We realize that time is important to people who are facing very difficult and challenging times due to the fires, and we're committed to responding as efficiently and quickly as possible,” he said. “It's remarkable how all the agencies involved are able to work together in such a dynamic situation to provide timely and effective containment actions, and we're proud to support those agencies."
Texas Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters have also been activated to assist with firefighting efforts and citizen evacuations.