This goes to 11

I live in California and right now our state is on fire. I don't mean that in the Alicia Keys sense, either. California is literally on fire. Fire crews have been battling the nearly two dozen raging fires to the best of their abilities. They deserve a lot of credit for preserving property and keeping the bulk of the damage limited to things that will grow back sooner or later.
Still, there has been a firefighter killed in the northern part of the state and some property damage done. As good as these fire crews are doing, certainly they'd love to do even better. Part of the reason they are doing a good job this year, even amid California's tinder-dry brush, is improved resources from the air.
Cal Fire, the state's main wild land fire resource, has utilized a small fleet of DC-10 airliners, converted from commercial use to battle fires. It's made a big difference. But, like all things that go up to 10, maybe there are times when folks could use that little bit extra and turn it up to 11, as Spinal Tap suggested.
That 11 could come in the form of the Air Force C5. The Air Force is in the process of upgrading their fleet of C5 cargo planes. New and retrofitted planes will be able to carry more, fly farther and higher and generally do everything better than the current C5.
Also, there will almost certainly be some that are never retrofitted and are destined to end up in the desert bone yard somewhere. So why not adapt those for fire service? OK, I get that carrying a sloshy fluid like fire retardant or water makes flying a plane complicated – but the vacuum of space also made flying complicated and yet, the moon. So, you know, obstacles are beatable.
Without getting overly technical, the payload capacity of the C5 is about double the DC10. The aid ground crews get from a single DC10 pass would be double, in theory.
A higher volume of water would not only help douse flames better, they would help calm related fire conditions. Hot air rises, which pulls surrounding air into the area, which helps keep the fire stoked. Much of the water from a C5 would douse flames, but much of it would also cool the air, settle that rising air and calm fire-generated winds. In the use of retardant, a C5 could cover a much larger area and help contain the flames to a smaller perimeter. Rather than dozens of fire crews spread across 100 square miles, they could be spread across 40 or 50 square miles.
My politician friends will, of course, point out the cost of conversion and operation. Yep. There's also a cost to insurance companies for fire damage and to state and federal expenditures for fighting fires. Why not fight it as quickly and aggressively as possible and minimize the resources needed and risk to property and life?
Until then, we'll just have to hope crews on the ground keep doing a great job. Maybe one day soon they'll get a bit more help from above.