HENRY COUNTY, Tenn. – At the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, a Tennessee Army National Guard UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter from Jackson’s Army Aviation Support Facility supported firefighters battling an industrial fire May 8 at the Sigma Renew 360 plant in Henry County.
At about 5:40 p.m., a flight crew with the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion departed Jackson equipped with a helicopter bucket used to drop hundreds of gallons of water, typically sourced from nearby lakes, onto large fires. The aircrew, consisting of 1st Lt. Lee Friedman, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Phillip Norris, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Ricketts and Spc. Ethan Norris, had just participated in wildland firefighting training with the Tennessee Forestry Department earlier that morning, practicing bucket drops at Milan’s Volunteer Training Center.
The aircraft arrived at the Signa Renew 360 plant at roughly 6:05 p.m. and immediately began dropping water onto the industrial fire. They collected water from nearby water sources, beginning with Carroll Lake south of McKenzie. Then, they used a local farmer’s pond, followed by Middle Fork Obion Lake Number Seven, where they got most of their water. The Guardsmen then flew the water to the site and released it directly onto the fire.
A helicopter bucket holds about 620 gallons of water and weighs roughly 5,100 pounds. For the next two and a half hours, the crew made 14 trips delivering water to the blaze, dumping roughly 8,680 gallons onto the fire.
After completing their last water drop, the aircraft returned to Jackson at 10:30 p.m.