More planes, better coverage

Mr. (Philip) Mulligan brings up a good point, it would be very beneficial to add a dozen or more C-130 aircraft to the state firefighting effort (“Better than 747s,” April 4).

About 20 years ago the Washington Air National Guard supported C-130s with firefighting equipment installed in them; as I recall these aircraft came from Wyoming and were a big help in the Pacific Northwest. In 2005, when the Washington Air Guard lost their assigned aircraft and they were integrated with the active Air Force, several of us made the suggestion through the chain of command that the state make an effort to obtain C-130s as an auxiliary mission that would allow the unit to possess their own aircraft and equipment for mobility missions as well as be an in-place asset to support aerial firefighting when needed. We were completely ignored by the short-sighted adjutant general at that time.

I believe this topic should be readdressed considering the increase we have had in wildfires in our region in recent years. Use the 747, but more aircraft means more coverage in case of multiple fires.

Robert Steiner

Cheney