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Feds set to close air tanker base, commissioner says By PAUL FATTIG The U.S. Forest Service is expected to announce this afternoon its long-awaited recommendation concerning the future of the air tanker base at the Medford airport. The decision will culminate a three-year study by the agency and the Pacific Northwest Wildland Fire Coordinating Group, a team of firefighters. Officials have been analyzing air tanker base locations nationally to determine the most effective and economical way to battle federal forest wildfires from the air. The Medford airport has served as a tanker base since the early 1950s, shortly after the Forest Service began using planes to bomb wildfires with fire retardant. Although agency officials were keeping their cards close to their vests prior to the announcement, Jackson County Commissioner Jack Walker believes Uncle Sam is preparing to close the local tanker base. He met with Forest Service officials earlier this week to discuss the air tanker base. "I feel they are moving toward closing it," he said, adding the recommendation also would likely include relocating the Medford facility to the Klamath Falls airport. "They presented arguments that it might be better over there. "But I don't think the final decision has been made," he added. "We (commissioners) are going to be in the fight to keep the facility here." In addition to Medford and Klamath Falls, air tanker bases in Southern Oregon and Northern California include Redding, Calif., and Redmond. A reload base is in Montague, Calif. Air tankers launched out of Medford historically have covered a wide swath, from the coast to the crest of the Cascade Mountains and from Yreka, Calif., north to Roseburg. The air tankers with their telltale red-stained underbellies are usually on call at the base from the beginning of the annual fire season early each summer until mid-October. They are contracted out to the Forest Service. Armed with a powerful pump, the Medford air base can fill a plane's 3,000-gallon tank with retardant in about eight minutes. During the devastating 1987 fire season, the center's crew poured 1.4 million gallons of retardant into tankers. However, relatively mild fire seasons in recent years has resulted in fewer missions out of Medford. Tankers cost from $1,000 to $3,000 an hour to fly. There are about 30 air tanker companies that contract out to the Forest Service nationwide. Although agency officials would not talk about their recommendation, they stressed that the agency's fire crews would continue to work closely with state and other agencies in a cooperative arrangement. They are trying to balance a tight budget with the need to accommodate larger tanker aircraft, officials said. "We feel they haven't evaluated this in the proper manner," Walker said. "We intend to argue the point that it needs to remain here. It would be a huge economic blow to the airport should it be moved." Although he didn't have figures at his fingertips concerning the loss of the air tanker base, he noted it would reduce local employment. The Medford tanker base employs people to park, load and repair the air tankers, dispatchers to deploy tankers and helicopters, ground crews and fire prevention officers to ensure people follow fire restriction laws. "I can't imagine that we would get federal funding to extend the runway only to have them remove the tanker base," Walker said. He was referring to the roughly $14 million project to add nearly half a mile to the main runway. The three-year project also includes taxiway and tarmac improvements next year. In addition to a federal grant, the project was also funded by the Oregon Lottery and passenger surcharges. If the Forest Service recommends closing the base as expected, Walker said the commissioners will try to persuade the agency to take another look at the airport. "We believe it should remain here," he said. "We think it's needed here." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA