FAIRBANKS (AP) -- The Alaska Fire Service has asked for three smaller aircraft to replace the two large tankers lost when the federal government canceled their contracts earlier this month.
The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service canceled the contracts for 33 large firefighting aircraft this season. The Alaska Fire Service had been expecting to use two DC-4s, each with a 2,000-gallon retardant capacity.
The Alaska Fire Service, based at Fort Wainwright, has asked for two medium-sized tankers and a single-engine tanker, spokeswoman Maggie Rogers said.
The request will go to the National Interagency Coordination Center, which controls the assignment of aircraft, she said.
The forest fire season has just begun in Interior Alaska and will last through late July. Normally, about a half-dozen fires start in the last two weeks of May, caused by humans and lightning, Rogers said.
The federal government has primary firefighting duties in northern Alaska, outside the Fairbanks and Delta Junction areas. The state handles most of the southern part of Alaska.
The state has two DC-6 tankers on contract from Conair Aviation in Canada that were unaffected by the federal cancellation.
The Forest Service and BLM said they canceled the contracts because the agencies didn't have adequate safety inspection requirements and oversight in place.
Two large firefighting aircraft crashed in 2002 and one crashed in 1994. In each case, the NTSB found that an undetected fatigue-induced crack in a wing caused the failure.
To replace Aero's two canceled DC-4s in Alaska this summer, Rogers said, the Alaska Fire Service has asked for:
- Two Canada Air CL215Ps, which are considered medium-sized tankers. Each can carry 1,400 gallons of retardant. The agencies are considering aircraft with U.S. registrations, Rogers said, but ``we don't necessarily know where it will come from.''
- One Air Tractor 802, a single-engine air tanker. It can carry 800 gallons of retardant.
- Two medium helicopters.
- Extra smokejumpers.
In her letter, Murkowski noted that the Canadian government, unlike the U.S., specifically certifies aircraft for retardant operations.
``Why, then, does the United States not recognize this airworthiness certification?'' she asked.
Murkowski said helicopters and single-engine aircraft aren't adequate to cover Alaska's long distances.
``What resources will be used to replace the grounded tankers for fighting fires in Alaska?'' Murkowski asked. ``These issues are of critical importance for the protection of lives and property in Alaska.''
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