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CLEAR Temp: 90 °F Wind: NW at 10 mph Friday, August 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 29, 2003 Air tanker will be stationed in Medford to fight wildfires By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Southern Oregon’s firefighters will add a large and effective tool to their wildfire arsenal today when an air tanker comes to stay until fall in Medford. The Oregon Department of Forestry will base one retardant-dropping tanker at the Medford airport through mid-September to help battle wildfires throughout the region. The DC-6B plane is considered a great first-strike tool for firefighters, who can douse or keep in check small fires quickly before they explode into the catastrophic blazes that plagued the region last year. "If you can hit a fire early enough with an air tanker, it can be real effective and be the difference in stamping a fire out in the initial attack phase," state fire-prevention specialist Dennis Turco said Monday. "The longer you wait, the larger the fire grows and the less effective (air tankers) become." Advertisement Air tankers, with the tell-tale red and white fuselages and large numbers painted on their tails, have been flying all summer in and out of Medford, which so far this firefighting season has been a reloading base for tankers battling blazes throughout the region. But those tankers were stationed in Klamath Falls, Redmond or in Northern California. The plane had been under contract to the state of Alaska, where the fire season is winding down, said state forestry spokesman Rod Nichols in Salem. That freed it up for possible use in Oregon under an agreement among western states and Canada to help place wildfire-fighting equipment where it’s needed most, Nichols said. It comes to Oregon as wildfire danger is considered extreme and headed into what normally is the worst period, he said. The cost will be covered under a $500,000 "fire-severity" fund set up by the Oregon Legislature to be dipped into when wildfire dangers and circumstances are at their worst, Nichols said. Some of that money also has funded additional water-dropping helicopters at recent fires near Silverton and Canyonville, Nichols said. The DC-6B comes with a ground-support crew and a smaller spotter plane. It can carry as much as 3,000 gallons of the bright-red fire retardant, but normally would carry about 2,000 gallons in hot weather, Turco said. After it arrives late this morning or early this afternoon, the plane will be available to attack fires throughout the area, Turco said. Its first responsibility will be battling blazes on private, state, county and Bureau of Land Management lands under state forestry protection, but it will be available for contracting to the U.S. Forest Service if it’s not needed on a fire on lands under state responsibility, Turco said. With two plane crashes last year and several other aircraft grounded, the Forest Service will have just seven air tankers to cover national forests in Oregon and Washington, where the fleet normally is nine, Nichols said. "That’s one of the reasons we wanted to bring (the tanker) in, to try to offset some of that loss," Nichols said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times