New BLM air center to house multiple aerial firefighting programs under one roof
Idaho’s Boise As work continues on a $5.8 million air center that will house the air assault and heli-tack programs under one roof, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) will soon have a new home for local aerial firefighting capabilities.
Marshall Thompson, Deputy Division Chief of External Affairs at NIFC, stated, “Basically, it is the first of its kind for the national aviation program to build a facility here, and it’s not going to be the last.”
An inside peek at the new air facility is provided by Brady Caskey, a South Boise neighborhood reporter:
By relocating the programs to the new air center, which will serve as a consolidated hub for aerial firefighting operations, Thompson said NIFC officials saw an opportunity to streamline operations.
“They saw a need and an opportunity to be able to move both programs into one location and get into a single point where they could coordinate efforts,” Thompson explained.
Designed to accommodate aerial firefighting resources, the new building will have offices, mechanical bays, a ready room, and direct access to the tarmac.
“Our air attack personnel will be housed out of here, as well as the air attack plane,” Thompson stated.
During major fires, the air attack plane acts as eyes in the sky, assisting in directing helicopters and huge air tankers to the appropriate locations. Additional adaptability in firefighting operations is offered by the heli-tack program.
“The heli-tack program from the Boise District they can deliver personnel from the heli-tack program, return, put a bucket on, and then start supplying water resources,” Thompson stated.
In order to coordinate local and national resources to combat fires throughout the region, the structure will initially house the managers of heli-tack, air attack, and single-engine aircraft.
According to Thompson, Boise-based resources can be used wherever they are most needed.
“Even though we may have the Boise district heli-tack program based out of Boise here at the new aviation center, that doesn’t mean that that resource might not be pulled to the southwest early in the season when there’s needs down there, and that coordination happens at the national aviation program here at NIFC,” Thompson explained.
By December 2025, the air center is anticipated to be operational and manned.
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