Photo By Staff Sgt. Terry Rajsombath | Aircrews operating two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the 1-126th Aviation...... read more read more
EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (April 19, 2023) – Aircrews operating two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from 1-126th Aviation Regiment, Rhode Island Army National Guard provided aerial firefighting support to the large-scale brush fires at the Big River Management Area in West Greenwich and in Exeter, Rhode Island, April 12 and 14.
This is the first-time aviation has ever been called to respond to a wildfire and nearly a thousand acres burned before being contained.
“In September 2022, aviation received three firefighting Bambi Buckets as part of the National Guard Bureau's initiative to expand aerial firefighting capability nationally,” said Col. John MacDonald, the State Army Aviation Officer for the RI Army National Guard. “Following receipt of the buckets, the aircrews trained on the operational and technical aspects of the bucket, power management, its limitations with the helicopter, and the employment of the bucket with a fire.”
These specialized buckets hold 660 gallons of water and dropped nearly 50K gallons of water over two days.
“They also received training from the Rhode Island Department of Environment Management on the anatomy of wildfire and wildland firefighting that was tailored to using the new Bambi Bucket capability,” said MacDonald. “This experience established best practices, standardized terminology, and rehearsed aerial firefighting techniques between RING and DEM.”
“Nearly a month later, those aircrews were called to support the brush fires in West Greenwich and Exeter,” said MacDonald “and they’re now operating as a fire bucket team in one of the largest wildfires in Rhode Island's history.”
“The success of the aircraft would not be possible without the previous training events with DEM Forestry.”
One pilot shared this about helping his community, “while a majority of training as military pilots focuses on tactics in combat environments, the most fulfilling part is when we’re able to apply our training to help those in the communities we’re part of,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Ryan, an instructor pilot from the 1-126th Aviation Regiment.
The Rhode Island National Guard's 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB), is headquartered in North Kingstown, Rhode Island at the Quonset National Guard Base. The 1-126th provides command and control, air movement of troops and material, and aeromedical evacuation to battlefield commanders. Additionally, they provide search and rescue, evacuation, and air movement capabilities to Rhode Island during state emergencies.
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| Date Taken: | 04.19.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2023 15:04 |
| Story ID: | 443337 |
| Location: | EAST GREENWICH, RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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