SAN DIEGO, Ca. - As the sun broke over the eastern mountains near Gillespie Field and a soft breeze replaced the harsh winds of days prior, California National Guard leadership took to the ash-filled sky Thursday to get a bird's eye view of how to execute the next mission.
Lt. Col. Keith Lochner, the deputy commander for the Task Force San Diego and the 40th Infantry Brigade Combat Team executive officer, surveyed the highways and roads from a UH-60L Blackhawk in preparation of establishing an additional 40 traffic control points.
California National Guard troops of the 1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry Regiment out of Azusa, Calif., are working with local law enforcement to enforce blocking points, according to Lochner.
He said it was important to not only survey a map, but actually see the layout of the land from the Blackhawk's vantage point for many reasons. "Not only was it important for the traffic control point," Lochner said, "but it was important to also get a better assessment of where the fires were. I could tell how things were going by where the smoke was and gained a better understanding of what type of risk-level the soldiers are facing while out there."
Troops kept many people at bay when fires started dying down, since it was still not safe for evacuees to reenter many communities.
"Though people were upset that they were not able to go check on their homes, it was important to keep them out of the area because local law enforcement maintained it was not yet safe," Lochner said.
Safety concerns, according to Capt. Katrina Seale, the 40th IBCT medical operations officer, go far beyond smoke inhalation and poor air-quality issues. Personal safety from both the environment and from looters is a risk, as well as the possibility of unsafe drinking water, unsanitary conditions from a lack of electricity, and the emotional strain of possibly seeing homes with fire or smoke damage.
Also, Seale said, California National Guard troops are not immune to these same safety concerns and should take proper precautions when necessary.