Fresno Air Base
The Fresno Air Base responds to an average of 100 calls per year in its immediate response area which spans from the California-Nevada border to the east, Interstate 5 to the west, Merced River to the north, and Fresno-Tulare county lines to the south. On average, the base pumps about 500,000 gallons of retardant a year. With the base’s pumps, four loading pits, plus one maintenance or auxiliary pit (in a major event can be used as a loading pit), Fresno has a possible peak output of 300,000 gallons of retardant each day. The Air base is also approved for the Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) with a maxminum of 6 aircraft. there is sufficient aircraft parking for up to 8 aircraft at a time.
The Airbase is owned by the US Forest Service which permanently staffs the base with a forest aviation officer (Division Chief), air base manager (battalion chief), assistant base manager(Captain) and a seasonal staff which is a combination of either three Seasonal or regular fire fighters.
The US Forest service has one Air Attack Aircraft (AA15) a Rockwell Aero Commander 690A and one type 1 or one type 2 Airtanker which is only Administered by the base.
In July 2012 The CAL FIRE Fresno-Kings Unit withdraw both personnel and aircraft from the FAAB. CAL FIRE will still use the base for the reloading of Fire aircraft and for refueling of those aircraft has needed. before the start of the 2012 fire season CAL FIRE lease office space and the right to use the base in an emergency and had a permanent Staff of a unit air officer (battalion chief), air base Manager (fire captain) and a seasonal staff of one Assistant air base manager (fire apparatus engineer (FAE)), and three firefighters.
The Former CAL FIRE aircraft assigned to Fresno included one North American Rockwell OV-10A Bronco Air Attack (AA430) which has been relocated to McClellan Reload base to act as a statewide spare Air attack aircraft. The one Grumman Marsh S-2F3AT Turbo Tracker airtanker(T78) was relocated to Porterville.
Read more about this topic: Fresno Air Attack Base
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