WEBVTT 00:04.740 --> 00:06.851 I'm Brigadier General Tony Mcmillan , 00:06.851 --> 00:08.796 the wing commander of the one 45th 00:08.796 --> 00:10.851 Airlift wing here in charlotte north 00:10.851 --> 00:13.073 Carolina , Mass . Program . Maths is an 00:13.073 --> 00:14.907 acronym for the modular airborne 00:14.907 --> 00:17.450 firefighting system , Which essentially 00:17.450 --> 00:21.120 is a roll on roll off component in an 00:21.120 --> 00:23.420 additive mission to the C130 airdrop 00:23.420 --> 00:26.750 mission . Uh It is uh meant to augment 00:26.750 --> 00:29.400 firefighting and suppression uh if 00:29.400 --> 00:31.456 needed . And we called upon , we can 00:31.456 --> 00:33.622 load them onto C one thirties deployed 00:33.622 --> 00:35.789 anywhere in the Continental U . S . Or 00:35.789 --> 00:38.000 abroad if asked to uh assist 00:38.010 --> 00:40.070 firefighting . We've been doing in 00:40.070 --> 00:42.350 excess of 25 years here at charlotte . 00:42.350 --> 00:44.830 We started in the seventies uh here and 00:44.830 --> 00:47.530 if uh it's been a great mission for us 00:47.530 --> 00:49.641 and we're proud to have it as part of 00:49.641 --> 00:52.050 our toolbox , the United States Forest 00:52.050 --> 00:54.217 Service owns the systems and maintains 00:54.217 --> 00:56.328 the systems , the actual firefighting 00:56.328 --> 00:58.494 system , the module that slides in the 00:58.494 --> 01:01.080 back of our airplanes , We have to hear 01:01.080 --> 01:02.850 at Charlotte three other bases 01:02.850 --> 01:04.906 maintained too as well in the forest 01:04.906 --> 01:07.750 service essentially ensures their 01:07.760 --> 01:09.650 stored and maintained properly . 01:10.140 --> 01:12.550 Mission is very important . And the 01:12.550 --> 01:15.160 fact that when we were called out , it 01:15.160 --> 01:18.540 means there is an emergency , a fire 01:18.540 --> 01:22.040 fighting has reached basically a point 01:22.040 --> 01:25.260 that all of our civilian resources are 01:25.260 --> 01:27.500 maxed out and they need a surge 01:27.500 --> 01:30.910 capability to help contain the fire and 01:30.910 --> 01:33.132 that's what we're called , is once they 01:33.132 --> 01:35.220 reach a level of saturation and they 01:35.220 --> 01:37.910 have no more assets to call uh were the 01:37.910 --> 01:40.140 surge and it is a great mission for the 01:40.140 --> 01:42.420 National Guard in the militia concept 01:42.430 --> 01:45.030 that we're we answer the call , we go 01:45.040 --> 01:46.870 respond as much as a volunteer 01:46.870 --> 01:49.870 firefighter would and help contain the 01:49.870 --> 01:52.820 fire and once it's contained in the the 01:52.830 --> 01:54.660 U . S . Forest Service can can 01:54.670 --> 01:57.370 basically mitigate the remaining then 01:57.370 --> 01:59.592 were released back to home station . So 01:59.592 --> 02:01.759 it's more or less a surge capability . 02:01.940 --> 02:04.162 We were definitely the backup role . We 02:04.162 --> 02:06.329 were not first responders . Again , we 02:06.329 --> 02:08.496 were called upon by the U . S . Forest 02:08.496 --> 02:10.218 Service with approval from the 02:10.218 --> 02:12.329 Secretary of Defense to augment their 02:12.329 --> 02:14.496 forces already in place . We would not 02:14.496 --> 02:16.662 respond in an immediate manner without 02:16.662 --> 02:18.884 the Forest Service haven't called us to 02:18.884 --> 02:21.650 help . The unit at charlotte is called 02:21.650 --> 02:24.470 out most years . It varies based on the 02:24.470 --> 02:26.590 fire season . And again , if we're 02:26.590 --> 02:28.757 fortunate we won't get called at all . 02:28.757 --> 02:30.868 A great firefighting . There would be 02:30.868 --> 02:33.810 no calls for us . But annually I'd say 02:33.810 --> 02:36.360 123 times as an average call out 02:36.740 --> 02:39.100 duration can be anywhere from 2 to 3 02:39.100 --> 02:41.290 weeks of our deployed members or in 02:41.290 --> 02:43.730 some cases from May to september 02:43.740 --> 02:45.970 depending on how catastrophic and how 02:45.970 --> 02:48.420 widespread that the fire areas are in 02:48.420 --> 02:51.010 the west . We carry 3000 gallons of 02:51.010 --> 02:54.190 retardant for load and generally we can 02:54.200 --> 02:57.740 launch drop 3000 gallons on the fire 02:57.740 --> 03:00.540 line In some cases as little as 10 03:00.540 --> 03:03.230 seconds return and reload and launch 03:03.230 --> 03:05.590 again do that up to eight flying hours 03:05.590 --> 03:08.970 a day , multiple passes over the same 03:08.980 --> 03:10.980 area to help contain the fire . And 03:10.980 --> 03:13.202 essentially what we're doing is drawing 03:13.202 --> 03:15.313 a line of fire retardant . The orange 03:15.313 --> 03:17.480 flurry that you might have seen . Yeah 03:17.480 --> 03:19.591 we draw a line of the retardant . The 03:19.591 --> 03:21.702 fire burns up to it and it goes out . 03:21.702 --> 03:23.870 So our idea is to contain it and then 03:23.870 --> 03:26.037 the ground forces can continue putting 03:26.037 --> 03:28.320 it completely out our limitations 03:28.320 --> 03:30.640 essentially for the mass . We we don't 03:30.650 --> 03:32.920 fly at night . Again we don't do the 03:32.920 --> 03:35.142 night and high wind conditions make the 03:35.142 --> 03:37.198 maps ineffective because essentially 03:37.198 --> 03:39.420 you're you're dropping liquid in a high 03:39.420 --> 03:41.587 wind scenario , it would disperse it . 03:41.587 --> 03:43.698 It would not be effective . But sunup 03:43.698 --> 03:47.390 to sundown on a routine day were very 03:47.390 --> 03:49.780 effective . Uh Two different ways . 03:49.790 --> 03:52.770 Again the on the federal role , the 03:52.780 --> 03:55.113 National Interagency Fire Center , Nifc , 03:55.113 --> 03:57.600 the U . S . Forest Service . Uh once 03:57.600 --> 03:59.433 they reach a point they need our 03:59.433 --> 04:01.433 assistance and a surge capability , 04:01.433 --> 04:03.267 they will request our assistance 04:03.267 --> 04:05.433 through the Secretary of Defense , D . 04:05.433 --> 04:08.020 O . D . And we are called up through US 04:08.020 --> 04:10.790 North com uh to support the homeland 04:10.790 --> 04:12.846 firefighting mission . So that's the 04:12.846 --> 04:14.901 federal way uh in the state of north 04:14.901 --> 04:17.012 Carolina . The governor obviously has 04:17.012 --> 04:19.179 control of the National Guard . And if 04:19.179 --> 04:21.290 there is a state fire mission uh that 04:21.290 --> 04:23.401 we need to assist on the State Forest 04:23.401 --> 04:25.512 Service , we can do that as well on a 04:25.512 --> 04:27.734 state call up through state active duty 04:27.734 --> 04:29.980 with again reimbursable expenses back 04:29.980 --> 04:31.869 to D . O . D . For the use of the 04:31.869 --> 04:34.091 aircraft and permission from the Forest 04:34.091 --> 04:36.091 Service to use the equipment in the 04:36.091 --> 04:39.310 state . The legacy math system was 04:39.320 --> 04:41.542 somewhat simpler in the system and that 04:41.542 --> 04:43.542 we loaded about the same gallons of 04:43.542 --> 04:45.790 retardant . But we also had to load 04:45.800 --> 04:48.670 compressed air into a tank . Very 04:48.670 --> 04:51.440 simple like a spray can to give you a 04:51.450 --> 04:53.617 something that you can think about how 04:53.617 --> 04:55.839 to american pressure on the ground . We 04:55.839 --> 04:57.728 had to plug it in and pump up our 04:57.728 --> 04:59.506 internal tank . It's stored air 04:59.506 --> 05:01.728 pressure . Uh we launched , dropped out 05:01.728 --> 05:04.610 With the spray pattern with two large 05:04.620 --> 05:07.940 drop nozzles on the old system were not 05:07.940 --> 05:10.107 as controllable as the new system . So 05:10.107 --> 05:12.630 with the new system , much like a 05:12.640 --> 05:14.780 metered hose were able to dial in 05:14.780 --> 05:16.780 exactly the coverage we want and do 05:16.780 --> 05:19.400 multiple passes in multiple increments . 05:19.940 --> 05:21.950 And also we have the internal air 05:21.950 --> 05:23.894 compressor now powered by aircraft 05:23.894 --> 05:26.080 systems so we can drop in anywhere 05:26.080 --> 05:28.560 there's a tank of retardant and load up 05:28.560 --> 05:30.449 without worrying about the ground 05:30.449 --> 05:32.282 support equipment other than the 05:32.282 --> 05:34.449 loading retardant . So we're much more 05:34.449 --> 05:37.510 versatile use . If the compressor fails , 05:37.520 --> 05:39.298 we can also load manually . Air 05:39.298 --> 05:41.353 pressure on the ground . If we had a 05:41.353 --> 05:43.520 backup american pressure on the ground 05:43.520 --> 05:45.742 and in the air uh we have a gravity way 05:45.742 --> 05:47.930 to drop the retardant . Just our 05:47.930 --> 05:50.097 Citizen Airman uh in the International 05:50.097 --> 05:52.319 Guard are proud of this mission . It is 05:52.319 --> 05:54.319 one that when they are called out , 05:54.319 --> 05:56.208 they answer the call . Uh We have 05:56.208 --> 05:58.374 individuals from the community if they 05:58.374 --> 06:00.470 see a fire that makes the news that 06:00.470 --> 06:02.359 might be out of control , they're 06:02.359 --> 06:04.137 calling us saying , Hey , I'm a 06:04.137 --> 06:06.192 volunteer . So it is something truly 06:06.192 --> 06:10.030 that is a National Guard Unit mission . 06:10.040 --> 06:12.262 It works very well and they're proud to 06:12.262 --> 06:15.140 do it again . I think this is a great 06:15.140 --> 06:17.196 mission that's very effective . Wind 06:17.196 --> 06:19.362 called , but not needed all the time . 06:19.362 --> 06:21.920 So it is a surge and containment 06:21.930 --> 06:24.980 mission and it plays very well And 06:24.980 --> 06:27.800 using our skills that are normal for 06:27.800 --> 06:30.140 any combat C130 pilot . We have the 06:30.140 --> 06:32.362 airdrop mission , we have the formation 06:32.362 --> 06:34.418 flying and that's exactly what we're 06:34.418 --> 06:36.473 doing with mass with a module in the 06:36.473 --> 06:38.696 back . We had that capability , so very 06:38.696 --> 06:39.050 versatile mission that uses our skills .