In the early 1970's, after a major fire burned into Long Beach, California, and destroyed hundreds of homes, Congress created the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Defense, to serve as emergency backup resources to the civilian air tanker fleet in wildfire suppression. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service owns the equipment and supplies the retardant, while the Department of Defense provides C-130 aircraft, pilots, maintenance, training, and support personnel for wildfire suppression missions, with the Forest Service reimbursing the military for associated costs under the Economy Act. The MAFFS 7 call sign has been permanently retired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. The first crash in MAFFS history occurred on July 1, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. with a crew of six and resulted in four fatalities: Pilot Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, Pilot Maj. Joseph M. McCormick, Navigator Maj. Ryan S. David, and Flight Engineer Senior MSgt. Robert S. Cannon of the 145th Airlift Wing of Charlotte, North Carolina. All four who died had flown from Peterson Air Force Base near Colorado Springs, Colorado, and did not return to their home base and families in North Carolina. The two surviving crew members, Loadmasters Chief MSgt. Andrew M. Huneycutt and MSgt. Joshua R. Marlowe, received extensive injuries. For 30 years, MAFFS carried 2,700 gallons of retardant; the replacement MAFFS II carries 3,000 gallons and can discharge its 28,000-pound load in less than five seconds from an altitude of 150 feet through a discharge tube in place of the left rear paratroop door. The tank system can be installed in a C-130 aircraft in approximately two hours without structural modifications, converting it into an air tanker, and the unit can be refilled and the plane airborne again in less than 20 minutes. Participants in the program are Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Air National Guard units including the 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte, North Carolina, the 146th Airlift Wing in Channel Islands, California, and the 153rd Airlift Wing in Cheyenne, Wyoming; each wing is required to have five certified crews for each unit and each has two units.