Each year there are hundreds of large scale brush fires and forest fires that threaten homes, lives, and our vast natural resources while contributing to air pollution, respiratory issues, and climate change.
Most states only have a few small aircraft to attempt to battle fires that quickly get out of control, destroying millions of acres of lands that can take decades to recover.
We ask President Obama to create a division of the Air Force dedicated to fighting fires, shifting the burden of fighting these fires from individual states to a more effective national effort. By having a large fleet of air tankers such as Boeing 747 Evergreen Supertankers available and at-the-ready, fires could be extinguished in a matter of hours rather than several weeks, saving billions of dollars.