U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) praised a new plan to build a permanent airtanker base and ramp at the Colorado Springs Airport in his home state to help support firefighting efforts in the region.
“I’m excited to welcome this new airtanker base and ramp at the Colorado Springs Airport, which will serve as an incredible resource for the brave firefighters in Colorado and our surrounding areas,” Sen. Gardner said on Jan. 25.
The City of Colorado Springs and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) last week announced their joint plan to build the airtanker base and ramp. The base will be 1.5 acres and will have six reload pits for any contracted airtanker, which will help the USFS provide firefighting services from the air in the Rocky Mountain Region and surroundings areas.
The USFS and the airport on Jan. 24 signed the agreement to share the costs of the project, which currently is budgeted at $20 million.
“Year after year, much of the West is forced to deal with horrible wildfires that burn millions of acres,” said Sen. Gardner. “Our firefighters in Colorado and around the country risk everything to protect our communities, and it is our duty to make sure they have every possible tool at their disposal to safely fight wildfires.”
Sen. Gardner’s office said in 2018 the senator had requested funding from the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and the USFS for a modern airtanker and water-scooper fleet, which has proven to be an effective response to limiting the expansion of wildfires.
According to the USFS, the new base will support all sizes of airtankers and serve a 600-mile radius, including several states in addition to Colorado, according to Sen. Gardner’s office, which noted that a groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for this spring, with completion and a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 2021.