The U.S. Forest Service says the Redding Air Attack Base has loaded more than a million gallons of fire retardant into air tankers since June First. Fire retardant is dropped in a line along the head or flanks of a wildfire to slow it’s spread. Throughout this year’s fire season, the base has gone through an average of 20,000 gallons a day. The base is supporting efforts on hundreds of different fires. The base services Forest Service tankers, Cal-Fire tankers and military C-130 cargo planes fitted with special slide-in retardant tanks called “Modular Aerial Firefighting Systems”. The base also hosts the smokejumpers and services helicopters used for personnel transport and water drops.