Wildfires destroy hundreds of thousands of acres of woodlands and open ranges annually. Colorado Springs and Pueblo airports served as staging areas for this year s annual Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System training held in Colorado May 17-21. Military members do not become actively involved in fire fighting missions until all civilian resources have been committed to an operation and are no longer available to combat new fires. A prior agreement arranged with the military allows the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, to request military participation through the Director of Military Support at the Pentagon. During the training, Colorado Springs Utilities provided water for the drops.
Actual retardant is used during fires only.
The retardant is not discharged on the fire itself, but directly in front of the fire line to prevent it from spreading. Flying six days a week can be intense and crews have to be at their best. Two were dry passes with six additional water drops. Each unit did 18 passes, eight sorties for 64 sorties throughout the exercise. Chief Master Sgt.