Alaska Army National Guardsman Spc. Tanner
Lauderback, a crew chief with 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, keeps a
line of sight on the “Bambi Bucket” attached to a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter
as he prepares to release water during a firefighting mission near Cooper
Landing, Alaska, June 17. The Stetson Creek Fire is a result of lighting that
struck the Kenai Peninsula portion of the Chugach National Forest on June 16.
(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Balinda O’Neal)
JOINT BASE
ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Two Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk
helicopters and aircrews from the 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment are
conducting water bucket drops over spot fires near Russian Lake by Cooper
Landing today.
1-207th AVN accepted their first mission to
support wildfire suppression efforts on June 14 around 5 p.m., and they were in
the air within two hours, headed toward Willow’s Sockeye Fire.
Alaska
Army National Guardsmen Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kevin Clark, left, and Spc.
Tanner Lauderback, both from 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, prepare to
attach a “Bambi Bucket” to their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Cooper
Landing, Alaska, June 17. Two AKARNG Black Hawk helicopters flew a total of 200
bucket missions, dumping more than 144,000 gallons of water on the 300-acre
Stetson Creek Fire on the Kenai Peninsula. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by
Sgt. Balinda O’Neal)
The helicopters and aircrew were transferred
from the Sockeye effort this morning and asked to perform operations on the
Kenai Peninsula after several spot fires began overnight.
Due to the location and terrain, the Black
Hawks were able to reach the area before ground crews, and the goal was to
begin suppressing the fire as quickly as possible to prevent it from spreading.
“We are
‘initial attack’ for the Russian Lake Fire. It will be up to our aircrews to
determine where to drop water, and we are solely responsible out there at this
point,” said Lt. Col. Robert Kurtz, the Alaska Army National Guard state
aviation officer.
Aviation personnel coordinate with the
incident commander to develop a tactical plan on how to suppress the fire, said
Kurtz.
“The incident
command team is working to develop the plan, but we were asked to head in and
get the basic idea of the need from the air,” said Kurtz.
An
Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from 1st Battalion,
207th Aviation Regiment, prepares to refill a “Bambi Bucket” in Cooper Lake
while on a fire-fighting mission near Cooper Landing, Alaska, June 17. The
Black Hawk can carry up to 900 gallons of water which they refill in local
ponds and reservoirs. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Balinda O’Neal)
Two pilots and one crew chief operate each
helicopter today. The 1-207th currently has 11 qualified crews who must be
swapped out every three to four days.
The first duo of Black Hawks is expected to
arrive back at JBER around 6 p.m., and return to the Russian Lake area tomorrow
morning.
Story by Candis
Olmstead
