The Huston and North Grove Roads fire ablaze as it consumes trees in a matter of minutes.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Jason Rudy)
Story by Capt. Randy Belden
AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. – Soldiers from the Army Reserve's 659th Engineer Company responded rapidly to a request from the Fairchild Air Force Base Fire Department for assistance in fighting a nearby wildland fire, which threatening a residential area in the in the municipality of Airway Heights, Washington.
The request was made and approved under the 2012 Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA), which allows the Army Reserve to support local requests for domestic support in the same manner as the National Guard.
The request was made by the fire chief of the Fairchild Air Force Base Fire Emergency Services. He had seen the unit’s capabilities demonstrated last April during a joint exercise between it and the base’s fire department and knew they had the right equipment and personal to assist him in fighting this fire.
When the unit arrived on site during the early evening of Aug. 18 with two Engineer Mission Module Water Distribution Systems (EMM-WD), they immediately begin putting out spot fires and providing water to other firefighting organizations. They continued preforming this mission until released the next morning.
“You and your personnel positively made a difference and were there, eagerly to assist and impact the overall success of the extinguishable/mop up and resupply operations. No personnel and no homes were lost!” said Fairchild Air Force Base Fire Chief Kimo Kuhean.
He further added, “I talked to the on-scene incident commander about your role and he was thoroughly impressed with your role in stopping a flare-up saving a small community of homes and personnel ... that says a lot about you, your personnel and the Army!”
659th Engineer Company Soldiers arrive on the scene with the Engineer Mission Module-Water Distributor (EMM-WD) and await orders to enter the site.
(U.S Army photo by 1st Lt. Kaileb Monk)
Army Reserve Soldiers from the 659th Engineer Company respond to a request from the Fairchild Air Force Base Fire Department for assistance in fighting a nearby wildland fire, which threatening a residential area in the in the municipality of Airway Heights, Washington. (Courtesy Photo)
Army Reserve 1st Lt. Kaileb Monk (left) and Pfc. John Tadlock take a break after working with Firefighters to keep a fire line soaked. (U.S Army photo by 1st Lt. Kaileb Monk)
Army Reserve Pfc. John Tadlock puts out embers along the side of Grove Road so it can be evaluated. (U.S Army photo by 1st Lt. Kaileb Monk)
