For Release: May 04, 2023 Media Contacts:

 NIFC: Stanton Florea, 208-387-5437 

 stanton.florea@usda.gov

 AFNORTH: Public Affairs, 

850-774-1044, afnorth.pa@us.af.mil

Aerial wildland fire training taking place next week in Southern California

Boise, Idaho – The USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and other federal wildland fire

agencies will conduct annual training for Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems (MAFFS) personnel at 

Channel Islands Air National Guard Station in Port Hueneme, California, May 8-12, 2023.

The training will include personnel from the Air Force Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air 

Force Base, Colo., and the host unit, the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing. Four 

military C-130 Hercules aircraft will be utilized during the training as well as several lead planes.

The recertification training includes classroom sessions, flying and ground operations for Air Force 

aircrews, civilian lead plane pilots and support personnel from the Forest Service, Bureau of Land 

Management, and other federal and state agencies. The exercise is one of two this spring for the MAFFS 

program. The Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing and the Nevada Air National Guard’s 

152nd Airlift Wing went through the same training session at Channel Islands ANG Station in April. 

“The MAFFS program is a tremendous example of how the USDA Forest Service and other wildland 

fire agencies work cooperatively with the military,” said Kim Christensen, deputy assistant director for 

operations for the Forest Service. “We conduct an annual training and certification exercise to ensure 

that MAFFS can be integrated into fire suppression operations in a safe, effective, and seamless manner. 

It helps ensure our mutual preparedness for the 2023 Fire Year.”

The eight C-130 Hercules aircraft that are part of the program are equipped with the Forest Service’s

MAFFS, which can drop up to 3,000 gallons of fire retardant in less than 10 seconds across a quartermile line. The system slides into the back of the military aircraft, and retardant is released through a 

nozzle on the rear left side. MAFFS aircraft can be activated to provide a critical “surge” capability to 

help slow or stop the spread of wildland fires. MAFFS aircraft are only activated when all commercial 

airtankers that are part of the national airtanker fleet are fully committed or not readily available.
As part of the training in Southern California, practice water drops will be conducted on some remote 

portions of the Angeles National Forest. Residents and visitors in those areas may see low-flying C-130 

aircraft and smaller lead planes throughout the week.

Note to news media: An opportunity to interview personnel and observe the training, including a 

practice water drop, will take place at Channel Islands ANG Station on Wednesday, May 10. If 

interested, please RSVP to Nicholas Carzis, 146th Airlift Wing Public Affairs, at 805-986-7420. 

For more information on the MAFFS program, visit: www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/planes/maffs.

For background photos and videos of the program, visit: www.dvidshub.net/feature/MAFFSAEG.

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The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), located in Boise, Idaho, is the nation's support center for wildland 

firefighting. Nine different agencies and organizations are part of NIFC including, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of 

Land Management, Department of Defense, U.S. Fire Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, 

National Association of State Foresters, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Park Service.