NC Air National Guard Continues to Lead and Support National Forest Fire Fighting Mission

U.S. Air Force Col. Marshall C. Collins, 145th Maintenance Group commander, talks with reporter Kate Gaier, during an interview held at the North Carolina Air National Guard base, Charlotte Intl. airport, January 14, 2014. Collins described the rewards of supporting the 145th Operations Group and Charles D. Davis III who once again, will command the national military mission charged with combating wildland forest fires known as the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System. 145th MXS, behind-the-scene maintainers, prepare C-130 aircraft that carry MAFFS, to mission readiness. These aircrafts serve as aerial tankers to extinguish forest fires supporting the U.S. Forest Service during the firefighting season. (Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Patricia F. Moran, 145th Airlift Wing Public Affairs/Released)

NC Air National Guard Continues to Lead and Support National Forest Fire Fighting Mission

Members of the 156th Airlift and 145th Maintenance Squadrons, insert the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, (MAFFS), a portable fire retardant delivery system, into the back of MAFFS 8 to convert the C-130 Hercules aircraft into an air tanker at the North Carolina Air National Guard base, Charlotte-Douglas Intl. airport. Aircrews can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant from the MAFFS modules in less than five seconds and cover an area a quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, ground crews at a MAFFS tanker base can refill the modules in less than 12 minutes. NCANG is one of only four units nationwide that can support the Forest Service firefighting mission. (Air National Guard Photo by Master Sgt. Patricia F. Moran, 145th Airlift Wing Public Affairs/Released)

NC Air National Guard Continues to Lead and Support National Forest Fire Fighting Mission

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Megan Delgado and Master Sgt. Scott Karrow, crew chiefs for the 145th Maintenance Squadron, North Carolina Air National Guard, inspects the connections of a vent duct on the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) unit onboard the 145th Airlift Wing C-130 Hercules, MAFFS 8 aircraft. This pre-flight checklist is part of the crew chiefs annual MAFFS training for certification. This year’s training will be hosted again by the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, held at the Cheyenne Regional Airport, Cheyenne, Wyo.,. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Patricia F. Moran/Released)

NC Air National Guard Continues to Lead and Support National Forest Fire Fighting Mission

Published Jan. 15, 2014
By Master Sgt. Patricia F. Moran
145th Public Affairs

Charlotte,N.C. -- With the start of any New Year comes changes and new beginnings but for Col. Charles D. Davis III, commander of the 145th Operations Group, North Carolina Air National Guard, things will remain the same. Davis will once again command the national military mission charged with combating wildland forest fires known as the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System. He earned the post due to his leadership during the 2013 fire season, the sixth-busiest in the 41-year history of MAFFS.

As the 145th Air Expeditionary Group commander, Davis exercises control over MAFFS resources at the direction of the United States Forest Service. But when it comes to getting the Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft off the ground and to where they are needed the most, 145 Air Expeditionary Group maintainers rely on teamwork and dedication to get the job done.

During an interview held at the North Carolina Air National Guard base, Col. Marshall C. Collins, 145th Maintenance Group commander, talked with Kate Gaier, a reporter from Time Warner Cable News, describing the rewards of supporting the 145th Operations Group and Davis.

"We are proud of the fact that the 145 Airlift Wing, and Charles D. Davis III have been selected to lead the 145 Air Expeditionary Group for a second year, and we look forward to supporting him and the job he will be doing to support the National Interagency Fire Center, [Air Force], and other government agencies," stated Collins, who became commander of 145th MXG in June 2012.

The Maintenance Group and associated personnel take pride in supporting the wing, state, and nation with the Fire Fighting mission. Their goal is to provide the sister units in the 145 Operations Group the best equipment to accomplish the Fire Fighting mission, state requirements, or outside the continental United States deployments.

Along with three other tasked MAFFS units, the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard; 153rd AW, Wyoming Air National Guard; and the 302nd AW, Air Force Reserve Command, in Colorado, the 145th MXG is proud of the opportunity to directly support and defend the citizens of the United States.