In recent years, the Washington Army National Guard has been called up to help combat wildfires that have ravaged parts of the state. The National Guard conducts this mission alongside the Washington Department of Natural Resources, who estimate that last year the Guard delivered 1.2 million gallons of water onto forest fires using aviation assets. It is known as one of the most demanding missions that the National Guard is called upon to execute.
In order to prepare for this year's wildfire season, the Washington National Guard's 168th Aviation Regiment teamed up with local fire and rescue authorities to conduct aerial water bucket training in Puyallup, Washington. Using this technique, UH-60 helicopters approach a body of water with a bucket tethered by a line underneath, scoop up the water, and then fly to and dump it over the wildfire. During the exercise, firefighters on the ground radioed the helicopter pilots and coordinated the bucket drops.
"This is kind of the varsity league of training," explained Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jarin Trakel, who served in 1st Battalion of the 168th Aviation Regiment. "The aircraft, we put it pretty close to its limitations when we're picking water up, moving the aircraft around in tight spaces, at low airspeed with a high-power setting."
The exercise was also designed to get the firefighters and air crews comfortable working with one another, working out coordination ahead of time, before an emergency occurs.
"We kind of try to bridge that gap by putting a face to the radio before anything actually happens," Trakel said. "That way, they know what to expect when they call the Washington Guard."
Aviators involved in the exercise said that firefighting is one of their more dangerous missions due to the terrain, smoke, and challenges in coordinating multiple aircraft, sometimes military helicopters intermingled with civilian firefighting aircraft, during a fire.
"The more we get to go out and do this, the better," Trakel said. "It just makes us safer, more capable to give back to the state when called upon."
