Cloud Seeding
and Fire Suppression
For a
number of years commercial companies have been involved in
cloud seeding and fire suppression measures. Cloud seeding
requires the release of chemicals in the atmosphere in an
effort to have water crystals attach themselves and become
heavy enough to produce rain. The Air Force does not have
a cloud seeding capability.
Fire suppression
involves dumping chemicals onto a fire using cargo-type aircraft
or helicopters. The 731st Airlift Squadron assigned to the
302nd
Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base,
CO., is trained in the use of modular airborne fire fighting
systems that help firefighting efforts of the U.S. Forest
Service by dropping retardant chemicals directly onto fires.
The unit’s C-130s are loaded with a system designed to airdrop
fire-retardant chemicals used in fighting forest fires and
fertilizing the forest to generate quick regrowth. The 302nd
AW has conducted firefighting response in Colorado, California,
Oregon and Idaho.
U.S. forest
fires generally occur in desolate, almost inaccessible geographical
areas. The U.S. Forest Service turned to air power to help
its ground fire fighting units quickly contain and suppress
these fires. Over the years, the forest service has developed
a highly effective air-attack organization and air tanker
fleet to deal with the forest fire emergency.
In 1970,
however, numerous catastrophic forest fires erupted in southern
California, severely overloading the air tanker fleet's ability
to cope with them all. This led to several U.S. Congressmen
requesting the U.S. Air Force help the forest service by making
military aircraft available as a back-up measure. This in
turn led to the development of the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting
System (MAFFS). The system is designed to quickly adapt military
C-130 aircraft from a military role to a fire-suppression
role.
Since
1974, the U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units
strategically located near high-incident forest fire areas
have been equipped with these MAFFS units, and have sent selected
aircrews to the aircrew training school for instruction in
forest service air operations and procedures.
The MAFFS
System is a modular, reusable airborne system for deploying
water and fire retardant chemicals from aircraft in flight.
It consists of seven airborne modules and one ground air compressor
module. The system can be loaded on a C-130 aircraft in two
hours, and filled with retardant and compressed air in 15
to 20 minutes. The system is self-contained and requires no
aircraft modifications. Each system weighs 10,500 pounds empty,
and has a capacity of 2,700 gallons.
The entire
load of retardant is discharged over a fire in 6 to 8 seconds.
Other
AFRC aircraft shuttle Forest Service personnel and equipment
to fire areas when the emergency requires a swift deployment
to the fire line. This increased mobility allows more efficient
use of Forest Service resources.
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