Nevada Army, Air National Guard activated over California wildfires
CARSON CITY — The Nevada Army National Guard joined the fight to halt the progression of western wildfires in California on Monday.
One Nevada Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter departed the Army Aviation Support Facility in Stead today to support firefighting efforts out of Sacramento Mather Airport. The Black Hawk and crew are joined by one Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) for firefighting operations.
Additionally, one Nevada Army Guard CH-47 Chinook was requested and is set to join the firefight beginning Wednesday out of Stockton, California.
Nevada Army Guard helicopters are capable of fighting fires with what is commonly referred to as a “Bambi” bucket suspended below the aircraft that can pick up and drop water over fires. A Chinook carries a maximum weight of 2,000 gallons of water per drop. A Black Hawk can carry 660 gallons per drop.
This comes two weeks after one Nevada Air National Guard C-130 was activated to support the U.S. Forest Service out of Channel Islands in southern California. In two weeks, the Nevada Air National Guard C-130 — usually stationed in Reno —remains engaged with other federal, state, and local firefighting crews operating the USFS Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS). Equipped with MAFFS, a military C-130 can drop more than 3,000 gallons of retardant in 10 seconds across a quarter mile line.
Nevada Army Guard helicopters, Air Guard C-130, aviators, and crew will continue to work fires around California, as directed by federal and state firefighting agencies.