Jeffco Airtanker Base

 

USDA Forest Service's Jeffco Airtanker Base (Jeffco) is located in Broomfield, Colo., at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport and is managed by the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland (ARP). The Jeffco  mission is to provide the very best aerial fire-fighting support for ground personnel.

The airtanker base includes retardant storage tanks, filling facilities, pilots quarters and offices.The sight has the capacity to mix 190,000 gallons of retardant at a time, which is enough for seventy-four and a half 2,555 gallon drops. Jeffco supports a variety of aircraft types, including single engine airtankers, heavy airtankers, lead planes and helicopters.

Jeffco airtanker base employees focus their time and attention on accomplishing fire missions safely and lending their full support to firefighters on the scene of an incident.

Location: 10900 West 120th Ave., Broomfield, CO 80021.

History

The Jeffco Airtanker Base was established in September 1983 in Broomfield. The base was named for the Jefferson County General Aviation facility that was its home. In 2006, the airport was renamed the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport; however, the airtanker base name remained Jeffco.

Initially the base was co-located with a 700 person fire cache and regional interagency dispatch center.  The Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center (RMACC) moved to the BLM Office in Lakewood in 1998 and the cache was moved to the Denver Federal Center in 1999. In 2003, the Jeffco Airtanker Base was upgraded with new facilities.

Jeffco  is one of four permanent and two reload bases in the USFS Rocky Mountain Region, Region 2. Permanent bases are Jeffco, Grand Junction, Rapid City and Durango. Call when needed (CWN) Reload Bases are located in Pueblo and Casper.

Mission, Vision & Values

• Forest Service Aviation Mission. To provide safe, efficient, and coordinated aviation support for agency operations; to support partnership agreements; and to meet current and future needs through innovation and technology in order to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands.
• Forest Service Aviation Vision. Lead the world in aviation, supporting natural resources and wildland firefighting.
• Fire and Aviation Management Core Values. Safety, integrity, treating people with mutual respect, and land stewardship.

Learn more about the Rocky Mountain Region Fire & Aviation program.