Tucson Region

Five big air tankers OK'd for firefighting

Five heavy air tankers will return to wildland firefighting service as early as next week, and Forest Service officials have requested three of the aircraft for battling blazes in Arizona. The five air tankers have been declared ready to fly after thorough safety analysis on the ex-Navy P-3 Orion aircraft. Rose Davis, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, said the return of the heavy air tankers is certainly welcome. "It's one more tool in the toolbox," she said. "We're looking at an active Western fire season, so every little bit helps." With most of the worst part of the wildfire season already past in Southeastern Arizona, officials aren't sure whether the air tankers will make an appearance here, said Gail Aschenbrenner, spokeswoman for the Coronado National Forest. "As we progress through the fire season and enter the monsoon, hopefully soon, the need for resources will fall off," she said. Firefighters have been able to use C-130 planes, single-engine airplanes and helicopters this year. Many of the mountain ranges in the region are too rugged for the air tankers to be effective, she said. The air tankers were used in several of the area's wildfires last summer, including the Aspen Fire in the Catalinas, Aschenbrenner said. Arizona's fire season is typically earlier than in other areas in the West, so the tankers were readily available. Air tankers are used primarily in the initial attack on a fire. However, the entire air tanker fleet of 33 aircraft was ordered grounded in May by Forest Service and Interior Department officials. The decision was based on an April National Transportation Safety Board report into three fatal crashes. Davis, the National Fire Center spokewoman, said the agency will examine where the fire danger is rising in the West and position the aircraft where they can be the most effective. Ken Palmrose, an Albuquerque-based spokesman for the Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service, said the tankers' return is good news and officials have requested three of the aircraft for Arizona. "When the five are released at the national level they'll determine where the highest priorities are," Palmrose said. "That's generally true in any fire season." Palmrose said this year has been similar to last year, with a 98 percent success rate in initial attacks. Firefighters have compensated for the lack of the heavy air tankers by using helicopter tankers and single-engine planes. "Having every tool we can get is going to help," he said. "Getting the five back will help, and we're hoping to get more." The bottom line, Palmrose said, is the integrity and safety of the pilots and the firefighters on the ground. The rest of the air tankers will also be inspected, but Davis called the process "time-consuming" and said she didn't want to speculate on whether more tankers might return to service. "If they are safe enough to pass the inspection, we'll be glad to have them back as support to ground firefighters," she said.