Wildfire Response

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National Guard Members Continue LA Wildfire Response
January 21, 2025 — LOS ANGELES – U.S. Army Sgt. Ricardo Hernandez watched from a cross street as sporadic traffic... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Bryce Carter, an infantryman with C Company, 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment, California Army National Guard, sharpens the blade of a hoe to clear brush and other debris as part of remediation efforts along the Mulholland Trail near Tarzana, California, in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, Jan. 18, 2025. Carter and other members of his unit were assisting CALFIRE in mop-up efforts, which included clearing brush and backfilling firebreaks and other areas to prevent mudslides and reduce the impact of firefighting efforts.

California Guardsman Helps Battle Wildfires in His Community
January 16, 2025 — CHANNEL ISLANDS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Calif. - Amid the wildfire crisis in California, an Air... MORE

Master Sgt. Alan Franklin, a commander's support Airman with the 146th Airlift Wing, speaks to 1st Lt. Aiden Flores about the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System mission on the flightline at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Port Hueneme, California, Jan. 13, 2025. MAFFS aircraft from the Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing, Cheyenne, Wyoming, the 152nd Airlift Wing, Reno, Nevada, the 146th Airlift Wing, Port Hueneme, California, and Air Force Reserve Command’s 302 AW, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, are working together to combat fires in the Los Angeles area.

National Guard Bureau Chief Thanks Firefighting Guardsmen
January 14, 2025 — CHANNEL ISLANDS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Calif. – The National Guard is part of a multi-agency... MORE

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, and Army Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the CNGB, visit National Guard members supporting wildland firefighting in Southern California, Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Calif., Jan. 11, 2025. Thousands of National Guardsmen are involved in multiple air and ground firefighting in the Los Angeles Basin and Southern California.

Wyoming, Nevada Guard Aircrews Assist California Firefighters
January 13, 2025 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Three Wyoming Air National Guard C-130s equipped with the U.S. Forest Service’s... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 153rd Airlift Wing load and install the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems onto a C-130H Hercules aircraft in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Jan. 10, 2025, in preparation to support firefighting efforts in the Los Angeles area.

California, Nevada, Wyoming Guard Join Firefighting Battle
January 10, 2025 — MOFFETT AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Calif. - Hundreds of National Guard members are now involved in... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airmen with the 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard, at Moffett Air National Guard Base, Calif., prepare an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter to help battle the Palisades Fire Jan. 9, 2025.

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Video by Samuel Weldin

Transformer Installation Timelapse at Fort Randall Dam

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Oct. 11, 2023 | 0:35

October 11, 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District's contract partner Koontz Electric Company, Inc. installed the last of four new three-phase generator step-up transformers at the Fort Randall Dam Project in Pickstown, South Dakota.

This modernization and necessary upgrade is expected to increase the energy capacity at the dam from 320 megawatts to 400 megawatts, or a power increase from approximately 167,000 homes to 209,000 annually.
GSU transformers serve as the vital connection between the power plant and the transmission network, at times operating at maximum capacity around the clock. They must be constructed to endure intense thermal stress while operating with the upmost reliability.

This project replaces the original GSU transformers due to age and the need for increased transformer ratings to support the upcoming enhancements to the turbines/generators at the Fort Randall Project. This immense undertaking includes not only placing the new transformers, but also positioning them, connecting them to the power and control systems of the power plant, and setting up oil containment.

Koontz Electric was awarded the installation contract for $10.3 million, and they are on track to finish the work by November 2023. PAF Electrical Inc. secured the $7.9 million supply contract for the three-phase packaged GSU transformers. These transformers were manufactured in Germany, shipped to Galveston, Texas, transported by rail to Parkston, South Dakota, and finally delivered for installation at Fort Randall.