VIDEO: Amid a rainy May, wildfires are the last thing on most people’s minds. Yet for firefighters in Colorado, now is the time to prepare.
The Airtanker Base in Jefferson County that provides aerial support for fighting wildfires across the state is open full time for the summer. Crews there know their planes could be needed anytime and anywhere.
"There is that unknown," said Scott Headrick, forest aviation officer for the U.S. Forest Service. "We never know what fire season is going to bring, really."
Fire season never ends. While the base is open seven days a week from April to November to provide air support to fight wildfires, it never really closes.
The base can open in less than four hours during the winter when it’s needed – like when the Marshall Fire burned more than a thousand homes a couple of miles from the runway.