Madison County, where the Quaker Run wildfire last year scorched 4,000 acres, is supporting a federal measure that would boost resources for rural firefighters.
The Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations, or ACERO, Act would codify, expand and improve an existing aerial firefighting project at NASA as well as invest in the future of aerial firefighting, as was employed at Quaker Run, which burned private and public land and stretched into Shenandoah National Park.
“Madison County supports the ACERO Act and believes that it can better support wildland operations around the country,” said Madison County Deputy Administrator Brian Gordon. “Our area does not routinely see the extreme fire conditions that are observed in other parts of the country, but having added technology and resources can only strengthen our approach in mediating wildland fires when they occur.”
