DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Combating the Texas Wildfires

We recently held a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable with Col. Jack H. "Jay" Pittman, commander of 302nd Air Wing, on Wednesday, April 27. For the past two weeks, at the request of the USDA Forest Service, and under the direction of the Joint Forces Air Component Commander, members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with numerous active duty counterparts and other federal agencies have responded to the wildfires that have been plaguing Texas and the southwest border region.

Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) has been deployed to aid firefighters in this effort. MAFFS is a self-contained platform aboard Air Force C-130s, and to date, the C-130s have discharged nearly 200,000 gallons of retardant to help contain the massive fires. Subject Matter Experts from MAFFS as well as the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, also participated during the Bloggers Roundtable to discuss the firefighting efforts and answer questions about their respective roles and capabilities.