U.S. Wildfire 2021: Idaho orders U.S. National Guard deployment to Western Fires!

On 12AUG2021, twenty three Wisconsin Army National Guard personnel took three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to California to help fight the fires, for the second year in a row.

Wisconsin ANG Black Hawk practices using the Bambi Bucket, 12AUG2021, prior to leaving for California. WANG photo by Greg Mason.

WANG video by Greg Mason, of Bambi Bucket training on Fort McCoy, 12AUG2021:

It wasn’t Just Wisconsin sending their militia to help The Golden State; Arizona, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma sent Air National Guard TACPs (Tactical Air Control Party Specialists) and ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) aircrews at the request of the Boise, Idaho, based National Interagency Fire Center: “The entire fire service lacks fire fighters, equipment, and especially intelligence capable assets. Being able to utilize TACPs and the ISR aircraft during fire suppression efforts is filling a large gap that we, in civilian government lack. The expertise TACPs bring truly makes our jobs much easier, safer, and can translate into our mission objectives.”-George Violante, National Interagency Fire Center

Arizona Air National Guard ISR wildland fire mapping RC-26 flying out of Eugene Airport, Oregon, 01AUG2021. Nevada ANG photo by Airman First Class Thomas Cox.

Pennsylvania & Oklahoma TACPs set-up near Chester, California, 25JUL2021. PANG photo by Master Sergeant Brent Hill.

The National Interagency Fire Center says military TACPs are perfect for the job of wildland fire fighting from the air: “They require limited training and can engage right into providing real-time critical decision-making information for the incident management personnel. The constant demand for this type of support speaks for itself. We appreciate their time away from their families and the long hours they work to support the Interagency National Fire Center and fire staff on the ground.”-George Violante