U.S. Coast Guard provides maintenance support to 302nd AEG

  • Published
  • By Staff Sergeant Luke Johnson
  • 302 Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
SACRAMENTO, Calif. --  Coasties from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento opened their hangars doors to the maintainers of the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group, making it easier for them to work on the modular airborne fire fighting system-equipped C-130s that are assisting in fighting California's wildfires.

Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento is located at McClellan Airfield just outside the flight line where the MAFFS C-130s operate, and the station flies the HC-130s performing search and rescue, law enforcement and logistics missions.

The Coast Guard hangar is just the right size for the MAFFS-equipped C-130s, and maintainers from the 302nd AEG appreciate the hangar space that the Coast Guard has provided.

"[The Coast Guard] has provided us with anything that we need; they have been outstanding," said Staff Sgt. Morris Reece with the 145th Air Lift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard. "They have made our work a whole lot easier by their support. Instead of working out in the sun, we have a cooler work area and plenty of tools and support from the guys here. It makes our jobs a whole lot easier."

In addition to providing hangar space for the C-130s, Coasties have also provided some of their shop spaces and also some consumable parts for the maintainers to use on the C-130s, according to Chief Warrant Officer Keith Chapman, the maintenance officer for Coast Guard Station Sacramento.

The chief warrant officer observed that the Airmen of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve have a lot of the same attributes of the Coasties at Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento.

"They seem a lot like us, just [getting] down to business," Chief Warrant Officer Chapman said. "They see a problem, they fix it.

"It feels great to be helping out [the 302nd AEG maintainers]. It's like a lot of things the Coast Guard does. Usually there is a problem, and we go out there and do our best to help fix it."

The 302nd AEG C-130 aircraft units include three Air National Guard units - the 145th Airlift Wing from Charlotte, N.C., the 146th Airlift Wing from Channel Islands, Calif., and the 153rd Airlift Wing from Cheyenne, Wyo., and one Air Force Reserve unit -- the 302nd Airlift Wing from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

The 302nd AEG provides unique capabilities and is part of a unified military support effort of U.S. Northern Command to provide assistance to the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Forestry and Protection and the National Interagency Fire Center.

USNORTHCOM continues to closely monitor the California wildfires to anticipate additional requests for Department of Defense assistance to local, federal and state civil authorities and will launch as many missions as needed by officials battling the wildfires.