FRANCIS S. GABRESKI AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. – Members of the Southampton Fire Department visited Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York, on Jan. 9, to thank members of the New York Army and Air Guard for their assistance in stopping a massive wildfire last year.
Southampton Fire Department First Assistant Chief Ricky Fowler and Capt. Jason Poremba presented representatives of the Air Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing and the Army Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion with a framed photograph as a token of appreciation for their critical support during the March 8, 2025, wildfire.
The image, taken from a video by North Sea Fire Department firefighter Thomas Kreymborg, shows a New York Army National Guard UH-60M Black Hawk releasing water from a helicopter bucket directly over a Southampton brush truck on the front lines.
“I never knew I would capture a video that would gain the attention that it did from the Southampton Fire Department and National Guard,” Kreymborg said. “My dad was one of the firemen to respond to the 1995 wildfires and he was out of town, so I took the video to show him.”
“Watching the helicopter fly over us was a surreal moment for me and something I’ll always remember,” he continued.
On March 8, 2025, fierce winds turned a backyard s’mores fire into a raging 600-acre blaze throughout the Suffolk County Pine Barrens. The fire raced along Sunrise Highway in Westhampton, putting the 106th and many other homes and businesses at risk.
Among the first on scene was the 106th Rescue Wing Fire Department, mobilizing four trucks and crews to fight the fire.
As 106th firefighters attacked the blaze on the ground, the wing mobilized two HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue aircraft for overhead command and control and an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter to dump water - the wing’s first recorded use of helicopter buckets on the new Whiskey model helicopter.
The New York Army National Guard deployed three UH-60M Black Hawks with helicopter buckets, and together, the 106th and 142nd continued to dump water on the fire.
The 106th HH-60W made 28 bucket drops in five hours, dumping about 14,100 gallons of water on the blaze. The three Black Hawks made 43 bucket drops, with each crew dropping a total of 28,380 gallons of water. In all, the helicopters dropped more than 42,000 gallons of water onto the blaze.
“The success of our response is a testament to the level of readiness the New York National Guard maintains,” said U.S. Army Maj. Richard Siracusano, the flight operations officer at Army Aviation Support Facility #1 at MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma.
Siracusano credited the battalion’s response to annual aerial firefighting training and joint training with the 106th Rescue Wing’s Airmen.
“That enabled us to seamlessly integrate our three Black Hawks with the 106th Rescue Wing’s aircraft and firefighters that were already on station when we arrived,” Siracusano said.
On the ground, and in the brush, along with the 106th Fire Department, were more than 90 fire departments and emergency medical services crews from the local area, including the Southampton Fire Department.
“As a member who participated in the [1995] wildfires, it was clear to me that the integration of tactical water drops was a game changer,” Poremba said.
“Helicopters were able to rapidly access hard-to-reach areas, get ahead of developing spot fires and work in coordination with brush units. This air-to-ground approach allowed us to gain control of the wildfire quickly," he explained.
The fires were contained the following day, according to the New York governor’s office.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Sonny Liston, 101st Rescue Squadron commander, credited the teamwork of everyone involved in stopping the wildfire within 24 hours.
“We had leadership that made a decisive call to allow us to start fighting quickly,” Liston said. “Then the integration between all the agencies involved and our coordinated effort allowed us to contain the fire relatively quickly.”
Thirteen firemen from the Southampton Fire Department attended the photo presentation at the 106th.
“It was really great to be able to present the photograph to the pilots,” Poremba said. “In a single moment, the C-130, helicopter and brush units were all captured together, which truly reinforced the level of teamwork involved.”
According to Poremba, watching the helicopters drop water was a sense of relief for those on the brush truck.
“There’s an understanding that if conditions deteriorate, there’s an aerial resource that can reach you very quickly,” Poremba said. “That knowledge provides a real sense of peace of mind in what can be a very dangerous operation.”
106th Rescue Wing Commander Jeffery Cannet praised the aircrews.
“The tremendous efforts by the base, local fire departments and the Army were nothing short of heroic,” Cannet said.
“Their swift and coordinated response prevented this fire from reaching our flight line, safeguarding our mission and the surrounding community. This is a true testament to the strength of our partnerships and the dedication of our first responders,” Cannet said.
The 106th Rescue Wing, based at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York, operates and maintains the HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue aircraft and the HH-60W Jolly Green II search and rescue helicopter. The 106th Rescue Wing is also home to a special warfare squadron with pararescuemen and combat rescue officers, specializing in rescue and recovery, and deploys for domestic and overseas operations.