WAYCROSS, Ga. – Georgia National Guardsmen have been helping to fight wildfires in south Georgia, using helicopters to drop water on affected areas after Gov. Brian Kemp's April 22 declaration of a state of emergency that authorized up to 150 Guardsmen for state active duty.
“This is probably the closest thing that we come to for a real-world mission that is similar to combat in the sense that we have to coordinate with many other agencies,” said U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Sean Brigham, Battalion Aviation Survivability officer for 1st General Support Aviation Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment, 78th Aviation Troop Command, Georgia Army National Guard. “We have to continually talk to multiple players in the airspace while doing our flying and mission jobs.”
The Georgia National Guard has provided three CH-47 Chinook helicopters and five UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters piloted and manned by Soldiers of the 78th Aviation Troop Command. Using helicopter buckets provided by the Georgia Forestry Commission, the helicopter crews have been drawing water from reservoirs in Echols and Brantley counties, Georgia, and are continuing to conduct water drops over affected areas. The Georgia National Guard has dropped about 350,000 gallons of water on fires in the area.
“The communication has been superb with the Forestry Service; both Georgia and the National Forestry Service,” Brigham said.
Clay Chatham, the Air Operations chief with the Georgia Forestry Commission, has been coordinating the response effort for the Pineland wildfire with the Georgia National Guard at Waycross-Ware County Airport in Waycross, Georgia.
“We have typically done [biennial] training with [the Georgia National Guard] to keep them informed on firefighting tactics and techniques,” Chatham said. “They’ve been a real force multiplier with this fire.”
The Georgia Department of Defense has a long history of partnering with federal, state and local agencies in Georgia and in other states to ensure the safety and security of our communities, our state and our nation. It has been assisting the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, or GEMA/HS, with this wildfire suppression response, with GEMA/HS serving as the lead agency.
In March 2011, the Georgia National Guard conducted wildfire suppression operations in South Georgia near Savannah and the Okefenokee Swamp, and in 2017 and 2015, supported South Carolina with wildfire suppression. Today, the Georgia National Guard still responds in force, drawing on the wisdom of the past and eager to apply new skills and technology to serve their communities.
Several local volunteers have noticed the efforts of the personnel on the ground and in the air and have brought water and food to the airport in support of the ongoing effort.
“We know that there’s lots of resources in place from the different groups that are here,” said Wayne Gilmore, the general manager of a business near the airport. “Y’all are here taking care of us, it's only right for us to help take care of y’all.”