The original item was published from August 23, 2022 8:27 PM to August 26, 2022 10:07 AM
On Monday, August 22, Commissioners visited Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport to tour the Jeffco Air Tanker Base. Scott Hedrick and others from the US Forest Service provided an in-depth tour and background on the Base’s role in the intergovernmental system of aerial firefighting.
The Air Tanker Base has been at Jeffco since the 1960s and has provided crucial support to numerous fires along on the Front Range and throughout Colorado. Additionally, the Commissioners received a tour of a Neptune Aviation BAE-146, a large air tanker contracted by the State of Colorado for firefighting support this summer. The large air tanker has been primarily based at Jeffco through 2022 and can deliver 3,000 gallons of fire retardant per mission.
To learn more about the Base, visit the Forest Service USDA page.