Photo By Maj. Leslie Reed | An Oregon Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter with Bravo Company, 1st...... read more read more
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SALEM, Ore. - The Oregon Army National Guard launched two CH-47 Chinook helicopters in support of the Tyee Ridge Complex, located 10-miles west of Sutherlin, in northwest Douglas County, Oregon on August 30, 2023. The two Chinook’s dropped nearly 105,000 gallons of water from their water buckets in support of fire containment efforts. Also, on standby for potential medical evacuations was an Oregon Army National Guard HH-60M Blackhawk helicopter, which was forward deployed to Roseburg to ensure a quick response time, if needed.
The CH-47 Chinook helicopters, based in Pendleton, Oregon, were notified on August 29, and moved to the Roseburg area on August 30 to provide support. The HH-60M Blackhawk helicopter had previously been forward positioned at the end of July in Medford,but were later moved north to Roseburg earlier on August 10, 2023.
Over the Labor Day weekend, the water bucket mission was called off and both Chinook’s departed back to their home station in Pendleton. The only active mission following the Chinook’s departure was a HH-60M Blackhawk helicopter which continued to stand by for medical evacuation support in Roseburg.
The Oregon Department of Forestry managed the Tyee Ridge Complex which started on August 24 from lightning.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s office released Executive Order No. 23-17 on August 2, 2023, declaring a “Statewide State of Emergency due to the imminent and ongoing threat of wildfire.” The order was verbally given several days earlier, on July 28.
Earlier this March, the Oregon Military Department had made early preparations, having nearly 200 personnel conduct training from both the Army and Air to receive their Incident Qualification Card, known more commonly as a “red card.” Training occurred across the state at
Camp Rilea, near Warrenton, and also in Bly, and Klamath Falls. Oregon uses the National Wildfire Coordinating Group standards as their foundation.
Oregon Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Bejan Rajaian, Joint Domestic Operations Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge indicated that between both the Land and Air components, more than 700 personnel were qualified and ready to assist if called upon.
Oregon Army Guard aviators saw changes this year in how they trained to fight fire, when the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), modified how water bucket training in the Columbia River would be conducted moving forward, in an effort to stop the possibility of scooping up salmon and steelhead. Oregon Military Department Environment Chief, Kelly Toynton indicated all future bucket training operations in the Columbia would have needed to “occur within specifically sized pens in the river to prevent fish from entering the pens,” requiring “suitably sized boats, tow vehicles, and qualified boat teams to install and manage the pens during bucket training operations, which were prohibitively expensive.”
“While other dip locations were reviewed, many others were ruled out in both Oregon and Washington,” Toynton said.
Crews now will utilize Indian Lake, located outside of Pendleton, near Pilot Rock, in addition to a dip pond that has been constructed at Rees Training Center, near Hermiston for their annual qualification and refresher training.
HH-60M Blackhawk helicopters had also previously used a canal at Biak for their water bucket training, however it too was “ruled out because of multiple issues, including water rights limitations” and due to it being “managed within the national historic register regulations,” Toynton said. “We cannot do anything that might disturb the canal and its rim and levee.”
Currently, there are no water bucket training locations on the west side of the state. Though the process to identify locations and work future agreements for water withdrawal and land use could be started.
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2023 10:19 |
| Story ID: | 454184 |
| Location: | SALEM, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 385 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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