KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Army National Guard provided two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from Knoxville’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion today to support a wildfire response in Polk County, at the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
The Black Hawk helicopters departed from McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base between 8:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., Central Daylight Time, to combat wildfires southeast of Turtletown, near the North Carolina border. The helicopters are focusing on areas of extreme terrain that are difficult for ground firefighting crews to reach.
Each aircraft has a helicopter bucket that can provide hundreds of gallons of water from nearby water sources to fight fires. The aircraft also can perform other missions to support first responders as needed.
The Soldiers and aircrews of the Tennessee National Guard are prepared to support firefighting efforts as long as needed.