Story by Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton
November 10, 2026 at 02:07PM The Illinois Army National Guard’s Sparta-based firefighting units hosted eight regional civilian fire departments for a comprehensive, joint tanker shuttle training exercise at the National Guard’s Sparta Training Center on Nov. 8.
Participating military units included the 615th Firefighting Headquarters, the 661st Firefighting Team, and the 662nd Firefighting Team. They were joined by personnel and apparatus from the Sparta, Chester, Tilden, Marissa, Mount Vernon, Baldwin, Evansville, and Coulterville Fire Departments.<br /><a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/news/579090/illinois-army-national-guard-firefighters-partner-with-local-fire-departments-joint-tanker-shuttle-training"><img src="https://d1ldvf68ux039x.cloudfront.net/thumbs/photos/2611/10086347/250w_q95.jpg" width="250" alt="Illinois Army National Guard Firefighters Partner with Local Fire Departments for Joint Tanker Shuttle Training" /></a>
