FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2012
Contact: Tom Pfeifer, (202) 225-5811
Gallegly amends DoD bill to increase firefighting capabilities
WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA) today added an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013, that would reactivate four first-generation Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) units and add two new aerial dispersal units to the U.S. Forest Service’s firefighting arsenal.
Gallegly’s amendment was added to the defense bill by unanimous consent. A final House vote on the entire bill is expected Friday. The bill will then be sent the Senate for its consideration.
MAFFS are portable tanks carried in the back of C-130s that are used to drop retardant on wildfires. The reactivated MAFFS and new aerial dispersal units would be operated by C-130 crews from the Air National Guard under the direction of the Forest Service. The new and reactivated units are needed because of a rapid decline in the availability of commercial aircraft.
“In 2003, the U.S. Forest Service had 44 fixed-wing aerial firefighting aircraft,” Gallegly said on the House floor in support of his amendment. “By 2004, that number had dwindled to 19 and as of June 3 of this year that number stands at only eight. An additional aircraft, on interim contract to the Forest Service, and air tankers borrowed from Canada and Alaska are being utilized to try to fill the shortfall.”
The Forest Service clearly needs more aircraft. Currently, only eight C-130’s equipped with second-generation MAFFS are available to supplement the Forest Service fleet. Even when all eight are called upon, the number of heavy air tanker aircraft is less than half of what existed in 2003.
This year’s wildfires underscore the need for more aerial firefighting aircraft. More than 1,000 homes have been destroyed by wildfires in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado, and the likelihood of calling upon MAFFS-equipped Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve C-130 aircraft has increased significantly.
So far this year, MAFFS aircraft have flown more than 250 sorties, dropping more than 650,000 gallons – nearly 6 million pounds – of retardant.
The four first-generation MAFFS could be operational in a matter of weeks. The two new aerial dispersion units could be operational in two to three years. The Forest Service also is not likely to produce adequate commercial aircraft capable of meeting the need for at least two to three years.
Gallegly spearheaded the drive in Congress through legislation and appropriations to replace the first-generation MAFFS with the newer model and to replace the aging C-130s with state-of-the-art C-130Js. Two of the second-generation MAFFS units are stationed at Channel Islands Air National Guard in Point Mugu. The others are stationed in Colorado, Wyoming and North Carolina. By law, the MAFFS, which are owned by the Forest Service, cannot be used until all available U.S. commercial aircraft have been pressed into service.
On June 19, Gallegly introduced a bill that would require the Forest Service to activate the unused MAFFS units to help alleviate the shortage of air tankers to fight wildfires. Specifically, Gallegly’s bill would:
- Require the Forest Service to re-activate the eight MAFFS 1 units sitting in storage around the country.
- Prohibit the Forest Service from acquiring air tankers from a foreign government unless the chief of the Forest Service certifies to Congress that MAFFS units are being fully utilized or are not sufficient to address current wildfires.
- Require the Forest Service to report to Congress within 30 days of enactment on how they intend to make the ninth MAFFS II unit available along with a timeline for making the MAFFS I units available.
Gallegly’s amendment today would partially implement his bill by activating four of the MAFFS 1 units.
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