POCATELLO, Idaho - Additional Soldiers with the Idaho Army National Guard were called out to support wildfire suppression efforts in the Mustang Complex wildfire. More than 180 Soldiers and Airmen of the Idaho Army and Air National Guard have now been called out to support firefighting efforts at the Mustang fire and Trinity Ridge fire.
Guard members have been manning checkpoints, providing perimeter security and have been on standby for search and rescue and medical evacuation missions. Their mission is scheduled to continue through the middle of the month.
Meanwhile, as wildfires continue to burn across Northern California, aircrews from the California National Guard remain active in providing support to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)and the U.S. Forest Service in their effort to extinguish the flames.
Aircrews from the California Air and Army National Guard have been operating six helicopters out of Redding and Dunsmuir-Mott airports. In addition, two C-130 Hercules aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System are staged at McClellan Air Park near Sacramento. These aircraft have most recently been used on the North Pass fire in Mendocino County, Calif., and the Bagley fire north of Redding, Calif.
"This is a team effort. I have witnessed tremendous interagency cooperation between CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service, Sacramento Fire and Air National Guard personnel from two different states," said Army Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, adjutant general of the California Guard, during a recent visit to observe MAFFS operations at McClellan Air Park. "We're bringing together all our resources and our combined 40 years of firefighting experience to make sure these fires don't become a bigger problem for the residents of California."
The California Guard also has a long-standing relationship with the CAL FIRE and the Forest Service.
"I'm pleased that our decade's long relationship and close coordination with the California National Guard allows CAL FIRE and the U.S. Forest Service to access these resources when we need them," said Ken Pimlott, director of CAL FIRE. "Having the ability to augment our firefighting forces during times of high fire activity is a benefit to the public and the very reason we train and prepare for this each year."
Since Aug. 7, California Guard aircrews have performed more than 1,700 water drops totalingmore than 1.1 million gallons of water dropped onto the wildfires. The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters are equipped with a 660-gallon water bucket, which is operated by the flight crew chief and CAL FIRE manager on board the aircraft. The larger, twin-engine CH-47 Chinook helicopter carries a 2,000-gallon water bucket.
The two MAFFS-equipped C-130s operating out of McClellan are from the Port Hueneme-based 146th Airlift Wing and the North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing. The MAFFS aircraft are part of a six-aircraft force now combating wildfires across the Northwest. The MAFFS force recently reached a record-breaking milestone of 2 million gallons of fire retardant dropped this year alone. To date, they have dropped more than 2.2 million gallons of retardant.