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National Guard activates air tankers to support Cal Fire 

California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing activated two C-130J Hercules aircraft to support firefighting efforts across the state. Photo by Senior Airman Madeleine Richards.

California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing activated two C-130J Hercules aircraft to support firefighting efforts across the state. Photo by Senior Airman Madeleine Richards.

Air tankers to support efforts at fires in Monterey County, across California

–At the request of the California Department of Fire and Forestry Protection, the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing activated two C-130J Hercules aircraft to support firefighting efforts across the state. Each aircraft is equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS), which can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds. The Cal Fire request came late this morning through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

“The air tankers of the 146th Airlift Wing are a proven asset in California’s fight against wildfires,” said Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, adjutant general for the California National Guard. “Their capacity to drop thousands of gallons of water and retardant in one pass can be a game changer in the effort to keep these fires in check.”

The state-of the-art C130J aircraft are based at Channel Islands Air National Guard Base and are expected to be put to use this evening by Cal Fire to combat San Bernardino-area wildfires. The MAFFS-equipped air tankers can discharge their 3,000 gallons of water or retardant over an area one-quarter of a mile long by 60 feet wide and can refill in less than 12 minutes.

“California is fortunate to have such a valuable asset at the ready for us to call up when needed in order to augment our own fleet of over 50 aerial firefighting resources,” said Chief Dave Teter, Cal Fire’s deputy director of fire protection. “We have a long-standing and well-exercised relationship with our California National Guard partners and we appreciate their support during periods of high fire activity.”

In addition to the two C130J air tankers, the Cal Guard has deployed several hundred soldiers to serve as hand crews to support Cal Fire at the fire lines in Monterey County. Cal Guard helicopters are also performing medical evacuation operations at wildfires across the state.

 

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