On Feb. 16, newly installed portable tanker base equipment was presented at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The equipment is capable of preparing large air tankers to drop fire retardant during wildfire events in Central Texas and surrounding regions.
State Rep. John Cyrier was the featured speaker at the event, along with representatives from the Texas A&M Forest Service, City of Austin Aviation Department and the Austin Fire Department. The portable tanker base is located at the east end of the cargo area of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
“The airport community has over 4,000 employees and a significant number were personally affected by the fires in 2011,” said Patti Edwards, chief operating officer, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. “It took creative planning with the teams from the forest service, our airport airside operations, security, environmental, planning, properties, and Austin Fire and rescue groups to develop a plan to allow both commercial operations to continue and support a tanker base operation when an event occurs.
