VIDEO: With wildfires raging throughout Central California, firefighters are taking to the skies.
Action News got rare access inside the Fresno Air Attack Base, where several tankers touched down and taxied over to reload and refuel.
Crews on the ground moved quickly to turn the planes. There are five loading pits and four storage tanks. Together, they hold 100,000 gallons of fire retardant.
The operators of the Erickson Aero Tanker confirm it can hold 3,000 gallons. It takes just seven minutes to reload.
“That short turnaround time for those Type One tankers for us to get retardant into these areas, you know, that’s a big deal,” Spokesperson Adrienne Freeman at the U.S. Forest Service said. She is assigned to the Garnet Fire, where several aircraft have flown.
One of the planes is called an air attacker. Described as a control tower in the sky, the crew coordinates the drops below.
They listen to six radios, each with two frequencies, often juggling several transmissions. They handle most of it on their lap, using a kneeboard and paper. One flight crew told us about the maps they print. With several fires, they must be prepared for all of them.
