CASPER, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - When it comes to aerial firefighting, you probably have an idea of what the planes look like and what they do. You may not know the role Casper/Natrona County International Airport plays in the state and surrounding states.
“I do remember the Sheep Herder fire in 2012 and getting a call from the forest service saying, hey can you accommodate a VLAT? Which is a very large air tanker and I said well what is a VLAT? and they said it’s a DC-10 and I said, well how much does it weigh?” said C/NCIA Director, Glenn Januska.
Six days later, Januska said they had a portable retardant facility set up to accommodate the large tankers, which they can still do today. A special facility is needed to fill the tankers with retardant and thousands of gallons of water to fight the fires in Wyoming and in surrounding states.
C/NCIA also partners locally with the Bureau of Land Management, and its smaller planes help fight wildland fires across most of the state. Januska is proud to be able to answer the call for all emergencies if needed.
Read more on this story and watch the video at Wyoming News Now.
