| PHOENIX,
Ariz. — During a visit to Arizona today, Secretary of the Interior
Gale A. Norton, accompanied by U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary
for Natural Resources and the Environment Mark Rey, announced that the USDA
Forest Service and agencies of the Department of the Interior have secured a
significant number of additional aerial resources to assist in this year’s
wildland fire season.
“The addition of these aerial
assets will enable wildland fire managers to maintain effective aviation
support, while ensuring the safety of our pilots and aircraft as well as
communities,” Norton said. “We anticipate that these resources will
allow us to continue our efforts in achieving a near 99 percent success rate
on initial and extended attack.”
Norton made the announcement
during a tour of one of the airtankers at Williams Gateway Airport, which is
the base for two military C-130s equipped with the Modular Airborne
Firefighting Systems (MAFFS). The MAFFS units slide into the back of the
C-130, allowing it to be temporarily converted into an air tanker for
firefighting support. She noted that federal agencies are contracting for
139 more aircraft to supplement the loss of the civilian fleet of heavy
tankers. The contract for the civilian airtankers was terminated by the
federal agencies after National Transportation Safety Board highlighted
safety concerns with the airworthiness of the aircraft.
“I’m confident the
reconfigured fleet has the capability to deliver significantly greater
volumes of water and retardant on a gallons per hour basis,” said Rey. “Our
initial firefighting efforts this year in the Southwest United States bear
this out.”
Federal agencies are
contracting with private companies for up to 46 single engine airtankers
(SEATS), 26 Type I (heavy) helicopters, 57 Type II (medium) helicopters. In
addition, eight U.S. C-130 aircraft equipped with the MAFFS are available.
An additional $66 million has been invested to acquire the additional aerial
assets. The newly contracted aviation assets will be part of the existing
fleet of more than 700 firefighting aircraft that drop fire suppressants.
Wildland fires are managed and
suppressed on the ground. Fire managers have gradually increased the use of
smaller planes and helicopters in firefighting support because of their
maneuverability compared to larger airtankers. Thousands of wildland fires
each year are suppressed on initial attack without the benefit of air
support since not every ignition requires aerial support. Last month, the
NTSB found that there was currently no mechanism in place to determine the
airworthiness of 33 large fixed-wing airtankers. Due to concerns for the
safety of their crews and the public, federal firefighting agencies
terminated contracts for the tankers. The air tankers were used in wildland
firefighting primarily for initial attack and support.
While efforts are being made to
develop a process to determine the airworthiness and safety of the large
airtankers, federal and state firefighting partners have developed a
supplemental aerial resources strategy that provides additional air support
for ground firefighters. The strategy is based on evaluation of existing
resources, fire danger, efficiency and cost effectiveness.
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