NEWSFri, Jul 09Slurry bombers to be phased out of Western firefighting effortsOne of the most effective weapons in the Forest Service's firefighting toolbox is being phased out of use because of the high costs of maintaining it. The number of big tankers used to drop fire retardant has fallen from 44 in 2004 to 17, and the entire fleet of slurry bombers is set to be out of commission completely by 2012. Replacing the tankers, considered the best "first strike" in fighting wildfires, is expected to cost $2.5 billion. Without funding to replace the tankers, the Forest Service will have to rely on heavy helicopters and single-engine air tankers (SEATS) to fight fires in out-of-the-way places. |
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