Brazilian airmen see AF Reserve aerial firefighting mission firsthand

Air Force Reserve Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey Flight (left) explains the use of the emergency release "dump" trigger for the Modular Airborne Firefighting System II unit to Brazilian air force Master Sgt. Agnaldo Pimenta during a visit to the 302nd Airlift Wing Oct. 27 at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Several members of the Brazilian air force's military aerial firefighting program visited the 302nd AW, as well as the Air National Guard's 153rd AW from Cheyenne, Wyom., to gain a better perspective on the new aerial firefighting unit known as "MAFFS II," and refine their knowledge on command-and-control of firefighting fires from the air. Brazil currently operates one legacy MAFFS unit which was designed in the 1970s, and uses two dedicated C-130s in their air force to support aerial firefighting operations. According to an Aug. 15 news report from the British Broadcasting Corp., Brazil saw a three-fold increase in the number of fires burning in that country throughout 2010, which threatened both homes and national parks. Sergeant Pimenta is a C-130 loadmaster in his country, while Sergeant Flight is also a loadmaster assigned to the 302nd Operations Group standardization and evaluation section. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Collier)