- By Sgt. 1st Class Zach Sheely
- National Guard Bureau
CHANNEL ISLANDS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Calif. (AFNS) —
The National Guard is part of a multi-agency response to the historic wildfires across the Los Angeles Basin and Southern California. Over the weekend, Guard members took to the sky to help extinguish the flames.
Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, National Guard Bureau chief, and Army Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the CNGB, visited Channel Islands Air National Guard Station Jan. 11 to meet with the Guard members on duty. Channel Islands — some 60 miles northwest of Hollywood — is serving as a hub for Modular Aerial Fire Fighting Systems, or MAFFS, aircraft and personnel.
“We mourn the loss of life caused by these terrible fires,” Nordhaus said. “Our hearts and prayers are also with the Californians who have lost their homes and treasured possessions.”
“Thank you for answering the call to help your neighbors and communities and the people of California,” he told the Guard members. “You are delivering on our promise to America to be Always Ready, Always There.”
The Defense Department, at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center, is posturing and positioning capabilities and resources, including people, aircraft and other equipment, to support recovery efforts in the Los Angeles area.
About 2,500 Guardsmen from California, Nevada and Wyoming are on duty working with local, state and federal agencies across Southern California.
On Jan. 10, U.S. Northern Command activated eight C-130 MAFFS-equipped aircraft and associated personnel. All eight MAFFS planes are now operational.
The aircraft come from the California Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing based on Channel Islands Air Station, the Nevada Guard’s 152nd Airlift Wing and 192nd Airlift Squadron, the Wyoming Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing and 187th Airlift Squadron, and the Air Force Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing and 731st Airlift Squadron, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
These units represent the entirety of the Air Force’s MAFFS-equipped wings and form an Air Expeditionary Group, which supports large-scale wildland firefighting efforts nationwide.
