Moses Lake Air Tanker Base helps battle blazes

MOSES LAKE - Air Tanker Base Manager Robert Meade watches his crew load retardant onto a 1950s-era BAE-146 like a proud father.

The base is his baby, and after 11 years with no loss time accidents and millions of gallons of retardant spread from southern California to Montana, all flying out of the Moses Lake Air Tanker Base, he is indeed proud of his baby.

The base is busy this time of year, and this year in particular, because of record high temperatures and a lingering drought throughout the Western U.S. has increased the number of wildland fires. The Moses Lake Air Tanker base is the only base in the state where fire-fighting planes get refueled, so as the fire season ramps up, Meade's crew gets busier.

Temperatures reached about 125 degrees Wednesday on the landing strip where crews load the red retardant and inspect the planes between drops. Planes stay on the base for about 10 minutes to get reloaded with retardant, water for the pilot and a quick inspection of the planes and gear.

"Safety is our number one priority," Meade echoed throughout the day as his crews worked hard in the summer heat.

All members are passionate about fighting forest fires and even more passionate about protecting the men and women who are on the ground battling the blazes.

"This is for them, we do this to protect them," Meade said as he pointed to the lines and pumps that load the retardant onto planes.

Members of the base have already sent 362,000 gallons of retardant onto wildfires this year, which is way up from the average of about 330,000 gallons a year as the season will likely last into September, Meade said. They will likely reach 500,000 gallons loaded in a week or two, he said.

The base loads P2Vs, BAE-146s and occasionally the mammoth DC-10. All of these planes were initially built to fight wars in foreign countries, but have had the guns, ammo and missiles replaced with large tankers that, in the case of the DC-10, can hold 10,000 gallons of retardant.

This year the base is even more important, as the United States Forest Service quit using a Troutdale, Ore. tanker base just last year, meaning the Moses Lake Air Tanker Base has a larger coverage area than ever, in a year with more fire than usual, Meade said.

He hires former and current students of nearby Big Bend Community College, because they are knowledgeable about planes and safety-minded, he said.

Contracted retardant mixers and loaders are quite a bit older, with the youngest member of the crew 55-years-old. The men seek the refuge of a mini-oasis created by netting strung around the large tanks between loading trips.

The crew got brand new pumps for the tanks this year, making monitoring the amount of retardant even more precise, but they have not had enough down time this year to install the pumps. That will have to wait until the fire season ends in September or October, he said.