WASHINGTON, July 4 — The U.S. Forest Service, Department of the Interior, Department of Defense and FEMA continue to support efforts to protect life, public safety and aid in community recovery from wildfires in multiple Western states. Last Friday, President Obama approved a disaster declaration for Colorado providing additional support to state and local officials responding to the fires, as well as federal assistance for individuals affected by the High Park and Waldo Canyon Fires. Yesterday, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano visited Colorado and Idaho to survey ongoing wildfire response efforts on the ground, thank heroic first responders battling the fires, meet with state and local officials and underscore the Administration's support for impacted communities.

The Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command announced that the C-130 Modular Airborne Fire-Fighting System (MAFFS) fleet resumed operations yesterday in support of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and its firefighters on the front lines in several states. Yesterday, the C-130 MAFFS completed 16 air drops on the Squirrel Creek fire in Wyoming, releasing approximately 41,250 gallons of retardant.

Currently, 21 large airtankers, including six MAFFS-equipped C-130s, as well as 71 Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) are available nationally to combat fires burning in a number of Western states. More than 11,400 personnel, more than 690 fire engines and more than 120 helicopters are also fighting wildfires around the U.S., supporting state and local efforts.  

In Colorado, Secretary Vilsack has designated all counties as primary Secretarially designated natural disaster counties, except Delta and San Juan which are contiguous disaster counties, due to the damage caused by drought, excessive heat, and high winds. This designation makes all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency, provided that eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.

Tuesday, FEMA approved two additional Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) for the Shingles Fire in Kane County, Utah and for the Oil Creek Fire in Weston County, Wyoming. This brings the overall total number of FMAGs approved for states during this fire season to 24. Other states that have received these important grants include Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas.

FMAGs are provided through the Disaster Relief Fund and made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies.

As part of heightened efforts, the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior have completed training of an Army battalion at Fort Carson, located near Colorado Springs, Colo., to potentially serve as ground firefighters to boost the number of firefighters available for wildfire suppression throughout the nation. The training involves one day of classroom training and two days of field training. During the classroom training, soldiers learn about wildfire suppression including fire behavior and fireline safety. During field training, soldiers receive instruction in fire suppression methods and procedures. An additional battalion is being trained to ensure that adequate resources are available should they be required.