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Show HILLTOP TIMES Hilltop TIMES Aug. 22. 2013 5 Members of the Utah Army National Guard 2-211 Aviation Battalion battle forest fires in Northern Utah on Aug. 12. The National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk dropped more than 8,500 gallons of water in one day on two separate fires in northern Utah. The "State fire" started from a lighting strike eight miles west of Portage, Utah. STAFF SGT. TIM CHACON U.S. Air Force Local combat camera unit aids wildfire effort No-notice mission demonstrates importance of Airman readiness BY MAJ. GREG A. HIGNITE Commander, 2nd Combat Camera Squadron T he Airmen of the 2nd Combat Camera Squadron are accustomed to austere conditions, but recent area wildfires allowed the squadron to employ its unique capabilities to assist U.S. Army National Guard aviators airdropping 530-gallon buckets of water on the fire lines. Our squadron's ability to show we could and fully meet the request also demonstrates the importance of every Airman's being ready at a moment's notice. With a mere two-hour warning, combat camera Airmen were geared up and on the flight line ready to support a mission of flying low over active wildfires threatening Logan (Millville Fire), Rockport, and Portage (the State Fire) in Northern Utah. In a UH60 Blackhawk from the U.S. Army National Guard 2-211th Aviation, the combat cameramen documented the firefighting effort from above and also on the ground in front of fast-moving fire. The high ternperatures, shifting winds and limited visibility for the aircrews on this mission resembled combat more than one might think. Our combat camera squadron, based at Hill Air Force Base, is charged with combat documentation and media production — anytime, anywhere. These Airmen must be equally at home leading a convoy in hostile territory or flying in the back seat of a Viper over the Wasatch Range. While the mission offered combat camera aircrewmen a unique opportunity to document the aviation unit's effort to extinguish flames at the State Fire near Portage, Utah, the photographs and video gathered will allow aviators to improve their tactics, techniques and procedures for future missions. The U.S. Army National Guard unit requested the skills of the combat camera squadron based on The National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk carries water to assist with firefighting efforts at the State Fire. a relationship nurtured over time. The squadron has worked to cultivate such relationships and trust with Team Hill mission partners in the area. Interservice and interagency efforts are now the norm when responding to local, regional and especially worldwide events. When something breaks in the world the Secretary of Defense and the president rely on the U.S. Air Force to be ready and to combine efforts with other agencies. The participation of the 2nd Combat Camera Airmen in this team effort reflects the larger mission of the U.S. Air Force to quickly and efficiently move resources and people to those in need. The joint, interagency firefighting effort that continues here in Utah is an example and shows the importance to every Airman to remain mission focused and ready to respond at a moment's notice and on multiple fronts to any contingency. The personnel at 2nd Combat Camera Squadron demonstrated that the Air Force's wingman culture extends far beyond its work centers and even the base for Airmen expertise. The 2nd Combat Camera Squadron Airmen and leaders charge Airmen to ask themselves, "Are you ready?" Hill AFB coordinates flights in and out of base to aid efforts BY MARY LOU CORNY Hilltop Times editor A Lockheed P-2 Neptune (P-2V) sat on the Hill AFB tarmac near Building 772 as U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service personnel waited in the mid-morning hours of Aug. 15 to join in the effort to fight local wildfires. With at least four active wildfires ongoing, the members of the Hill AFB Air Tanker Base staff and contractors were on hand to play their part. The P-2V aircraft can function as a smaller tanker to drop retardant, but there are multiple aircraft, multiple agencies and multiple personnel who play a role in such efforts. "These are dedicated personnel, on-call 24/7," said Kathy Jo Pollock, UintaWasatch-Cache National Forest Public Affairs director. "They are extremely busy all summer, and usually away from home, and they are a significant support for the wild land fire community." Conversation at the site that morning was low-key but on-point. When a dispatch call came in to coordinate some supplies, people left the room so as not to interfere in the conversation. A firefighter pilot at the site that day credited the base for the ease with which firefighters have been able to conduct operations. "Hill has been extremely accommodating. They have been really helpful in getting permission for aircraft to come in and in sequencing aircraft out," said Mike Maloney. The firefighter acknowledged the wide range in backgrounds pilots bring to the effort, including military, commercial and civilian aviation experience. Pollock, forest service spokeswoman, described a variety of resources that go into fighting fires besides the personnel, the pilots and the crews on the ground. "These efforts include the aircraft dropping buckets (of water or retardant) — the helicopters — to support the crews on the ground," she said, and explained that someone needs to work the retardant and the water into the ground during efforts. "They work in coordination," Pollock said. "We have aircraft that we call air attack, or smaller fixed wing planes that function as our eyes in the skies letting the guys on the ground know where things are flaring up, and watching what is happening." Also in the thick of things as far as preparations are the personnel who help pump the fire retardant into the tankers. "They are on call all the time," said Pollock. "They get called in and have to get up in the middle of the night to start up the pumps for the guys who are going to be there early to get retardant for their aircraft in the morning. Sometimes they have to be there overnight. They are very, very dedicated." Firefighters prepare for the anticipated fire season in the spring. Typically Utah's fire season begins in midJuly or the end of July and runs through October. Some portions of the United States experience an earlier fire season beginning in April, including New Mexico and Arizona. Indicative of how interwoven these efforts are in fighting fires, multiple agencies train together. Training this past year included simulator training at Hill AFB for some personnel. "It is always interagency cooperation: state agencies, federal agencies, townies, cities, all weaved into that cooperation," said Pollock. She indicated that most of the ground crews participate actively in spring training including April, May and into June. Among a variety of skills required, pilots also practice water drops before the fire season begins. McConnell Douglas DC-10 tankers, including the Multiple Airborne Fire Fighting system equipped air tankers which the Air Force deploys, are among the heavy hitters in dropping fire retardant. A typical DC-10 can drop as much as 11,600 gallons of retardant. Smaller tankers can carry 5,000 gallons. The altitude required for the drop, the daily temperature and the site of the fire location can all affect the amount of retardant a tanker can carry given current conditions. But the goal first and foremost is to protect populace, structures and the firefighters and their aircraft, even in the midst of a heavy fire season. One of the things Hill AFB can be proud of is its support to the fight, say the fire personnel. The base has been very good to work with U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service in getting all the permissions needed. "One of the best partnerships we have — that the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache Forest Service has — is with Hill Air Force Base," said Pollock. Maloney agrees. "The great thing is how Hill Air Force Base has taken care of us. It is much appreciated." |