MAFFS Mission Report

July 1st, 2008

The ground vibrates and the engines loudly rumble as the huge C-130 military cargo plane taxies back onto McClellan air base in the early evening. This after yet another “sortie”, or flying mission, assisting ground crews in doing battle with one of many lightning-caused fires across northern California. This plane is one of only eight specially equipped aircraft in the United States that have been temporarily converted to fire fighting, retardant-dropping airtankers.

The entire fleet is currently stationed just outside of downtown Sacramento, California, as part of a statewide effort to quell thousands of acres of burning wildlands that threaten homes and valuable natural resources.

Today’s Mission Report marks “day one” in what will be a daily report of sights and sounds in and around the tanker base as these massive planes maneuver on the tarmac, or “ramp” as it is called, as they reload and then lift off once again to aid fire fighters who eagerly anticipate their return.

Just yesterday, the planes flew a total of 31 sorties that kept them airborne for 35 hours of flight time. Over 84,000 gallons of fire retardant “slurry” was dropped, which allows firefighters to more safely attack the fires on the ground.

Since the MAFFS equipped C-130 were tasked with this current mission just a few days ago, the aircraft have flown well over 200 hours, where more than a quarter of a million gallons of slurry was spread over the fires.

CAL FIRE is lucky to have such a valuable fire-fighting tool available in what is shaping up to be a challenging fire season.

In the next few days subsequent mission reports will showcase the men and women involved and how they ensure that the MAFFS program operates smoothly and safely.

The transformation of these aircraft from heavy-lift, cargo carrying use to fire fighting is made possible by the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System or MAFFS, which is based on a slid-in unit consisting of pressurized tanks that are loaded with up to 3,000 gallons of fire retardant that weigh up to a staggering 28,000 pounds. The liquid retardant is made up of almost 85% water with added chemical, which is basically fertilizer and some red dye so the pilots can tell where they have already dropped.

One drop will cover an area 60 feet wide and one-quarter of a mile long.

The MAFFS program has been around since 1974 and has even been used as far away as Italy. While the planes are under the responsibility of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, the module tanks and pumps are maintained and stored by the U.S. Forest Service. CAL FIRE, under authority of the Governor, can activate the two units stationed in southern California, while the six other MAFFS must be requested from out-of-state.