BOISE, Idaho — Local aerial firefighting resources will soon have a new home at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) as construction continues on a $5.8 million air center that will house the air attack and heli-tack programs under one roof.
"Basically, it is the first of its kind for the national aviation program to build a facility here, it's not gonna be the last," said Marshall Thompson, Deputy Division Chief of External Affairs at NIFC.
South Boise Neighborhood Reporter Brady Caskey has an inside look at the new air center:
Thompson said NIFC officials identified an opportunity to streamline operations by moving the programs into the new air center, which will act as a centralized hub for aerial firefighting 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 said.
The new facility will feature offices, mechanical bays, a ready room and direct access to the tarmac, all designed around aerial firefighting resources.
"Our air attack personnel will be housed out of here, as well as the air attack plane," Thompson said.
The air attack plane serves as eyes in the sky, helping guide large air tankers and helicopters to where they're needed during major fires. The heli-tack program provides additional versatility in firefighting operations.
"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 said.
The building will initially house the heli-tack, air attack, and single-engine aircraft managers, serving as a coordination point where local and national resources can work together to fight fires across the region.
Thompson explained that resources based in Boise may be deployed wherever they're needed most.
"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 said.
The air center is expected to be open and staffed by December 2025.
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