WEBVTT 00:12.440 --> 00:13.440 mhm 00:16.240 --> 00:17.240 mhm 00:22.440 --> 00:24.430 On every front highlighting the 00:24.430 --> 00:26.652 accomplishments of our citizen soldiers 00:26.652 --> 00:28.819 and airmen as they answer our nation's 00:28.819 --> 00:30.652 call to duty , I'm Army Sergeant 00:30.652 --> 00:33.820 Michael dan in 2011 more than 8.5 00:33.830 --> 00:35.552 million acres were consumed by 00:35.552 --> 00:37.552 wildfires in the United States . In 00:37.552 --> 00:39.830 texas alone , between november of 2010 , 00:39.830 --> 00:43.500 in october of 2011 , there were 30,457 00:43.500 --> 00:45.590 fires , burning almost four million 00:45.590 --> 00:48.660 acres To assist the firefighting 00:48.660 --> 00:50.850 efforts on the ground . More than 34 00:50.850 --> 00:53.017 million gallons of retardant and water 00:53.017 --> 00:55.183 were dropped from aircraft flying over 00:55.183 --> 00:58.100 16,500 hours . Many of these flights 00:58.100 --> 01:00.267 were performed by National Guardsmen , 01:00.267 --> 01:02.433 flying helicopters with Bucket Systems 01:02.530 --> 01:04.960 and C130 Hercules . Transport aircraft 01:05.340 --> 01:08.010 equipped with maths or modular airborne 01:08.010 --> 01:10.890 firefighting systems . No easy task , 01:10.900 --> 01:13.400 especially for the C130 pilots , it's 01:13.400 --> 01:15.567 an extremely challenging and dangerous 01:15.567 --> 01:17.700 mission . Were dropping Optimum drop 01:17.700 --> 01:20.930 altitude 150 ft and we're slow and near 01:20.930 --> 01:23.152 stall when we're coming down the hill . 01:23.152 --> 01:25.410 So it's other than our wartime to 01:25.410 --> 01:27.466 asking where we're getting shot at . 01:27.466 --> 01:29.354 This is by far the most dangerous 01:29.354 --> 01:31.650 mission . The states that have wildfire 01:31.650 --> 01:33.872 issues equipped the National Guard with 01:33.872 --> 01:35.761 helly buckets or Bambi buckets as 01:35.761 --> 01:37.928 they're called by firefighting crews . 01:37.928 --> 01:40.094 These buckets varying in size are used 01:40.094 --> 01:42.150 by helicopters and can drop water or 01:42.150 --> 01:44.317 retardant directly onto a fire limited 01:44.317 --> 01:46.428 only by the lifting capability of the 01:46.428 --> 01:48.594 helicopter for larger fires . The math 01:48.594 --> 01:50.539 system will be deployed within the 01:50.539 --> 01:52.483 cargo bay of a C 1 30 . The system 01:52.483 --> 01:54.428 carries and distributes a chemical 01:54.428 --> 01:56.594 retardant or slurry as the crew refers 01:56.594 --> 01:58.761 to it . That can be used to extinguish 01:58.761 --> 02:00.983 a fire . But in most cases it's used to 02:00.983 --> 02:02.983 create a barrier around the fire to 02:02.983 --> 02:05.000 stop it from spreading . That math 02:05.000 --> 02:07.560 system is extremely effective . We drop 02:07.940 --> 02:11.290 Close to £30,000 of 02:11.290 --> 02:13.123 retardant out of the back of the 02:13.123 --> 02:16.990 airplane in 10 to 15 seconds and 02:17.000 --> 02:19.056 like I said , it comes out as an air 02:19.056 --> 02:21.056 assault , it's blowing out onto the 02:21.056 --> 02:23.056 fire so it's much better coverage . 02:25.430 --> 02:27.319 The maps are owned by the U . S . 02:27.319 --> 02:29.541 Forestry Service but flown by Air Guard 02:29.541 --> 02:31.263 to assist and supplement other 02:31.263 --> 02:33.263 firefighting helicopters and tanker 02:33.263 --> 02:35.950 aircraft . In the past we used to have 02:35.950 --> 02:39.350 36 , A fleet of 36 commercial air 02:39.350 --> 02:41.640 tankers that we can disperse throughout 02:41.640 --> 02:43.862 the whole Western United States or even 02:43.862 --> 02:46.029 in the United States during the height 02:46.029 --> 02:48.140 of fire season . Now we're down to 11 02:48.140 --> 02:50.550 and so with this with the mass system 02:51.240 --> 02:54.300 it allows us it allows us to bring him 02:54.300 --> 02:57.180 on or help us get those numbers back up 02:57.190 --> 02:59.246 with decreased numbers , information 02:59.246 --> 03:00.912 and accuracy or of the utmost 03:00.912 --> 03:03.134 importance to the mass cruise . So each 03:03.134 --> 03:05.300 time they fly in behind lead aircraft 03:05.640 --> 03:07.862 flown by the Forestry Service to ensure 03:07.862 --> 03:10.440 their effectiveness . Yeah . 03:12.540 --> 03:14.740 Mhm . Yeah . 03:17.650 --> 03:19.440 Yeah . Yeah . The lead plane is 03:19.440 --> 03:21.670 essential . We can't operate as a 03:21.670 --> 03:23.837 tanker independent of the lead plane . 03:23.837 --> 03:25.726 The lead plane will take us in uh 03:25.726 --> 03:27.614 they've got an overall picture of 03:27.614 --> 03:29.614 what's happening with that fire and 03:29.614 --> 03:31.781 typically they're on station for hours 03:31.781 --> 03:31.460 at a time where we're just going out 03:31.460 --> 03:33.460 there with a low dropping it coming 03:33.460 --> 03:35.682 back refilling and going again . And in 03:35.682 --> 03:37.904 the meantime that lead plane is working 03:37.904 --> 03:37.550 with several other tankers or 03:37.550 --> 03:40.840 helicopters and ground assets to to get 03:40.840 --> 03:42.784 that fire under control along with 03:42.784 --> 03:44.880 accuracy . Speed is the other key to 03:44.880 --> 03:46.870 controlling the fire . The Bambi 03:46.870 --> 03:48.926 buckets can be refilled by any close 03:48.926 --> 03:50.981 water source by just dipping it in , 03:50.981 --> 03:53.148 pulling it up as long as there's water 03:53.148 --> 03:55.148 they can keep filling and dumping . 03:55.240 --> 03:57.510 Maths is more labor intensive . But 03:57.510 --> 03:59.454 recent upgrades have increased the 03:59.454 --> 04:01.510 turnaround time . It has on board to 04:01.510 --> 04:03.510 onboard compressors that are direct 04:03.510 --> 04:06.040 wired into our generators . Now after 04:06.040 --> 04:08.096 we've done a drop , we can turn on a 04:08.096 --> 04:10.590 compressors and start pressurising our 04:10.590 --> 04:12.479 air system on the way back to the 04:12.479 --> 04:14.479 reload base . Once back in the base 04:14.479 --> 04:16.701 crews from the Forestry service and the 04:16.701 --> 04:19.034 Air Guard . We fill the map slurry tank , 04:19.034 --> 04:21.201 the plane's fuel in some cases and any 04:21.201 --> 04:23.470 other needs . It's as quick as we can 04:23.480 --> 04:26.140 turn the airplane and in that case we 04:26.140 --> 04:28.362 can we can do a drop in turn and within 04:28.362 --> 04:30.690 half an hour , 45 minutes . So in a 12 04:30.690 --> 04:32.912 hour day it's conceivable you could get 04:32.912 --> 04:35.100 a dozen and a half drops easily 04:35.110 --> 04:37.920 effective , accurate and fast whether 04:37.920 --> 04:39.930 it's bucket systems or mass . The 04:39.930 --> 04:41.874 National Guard has a bright future 04:41.874 --> 04:44.041 fighting fires . They will become more 04:44.041 --> 04:46.200 involved with the suppression , which 04:46.200 --> 04:48.500 is a good thing . Max has also been 04:48.500 --> 04:50.667 deployed outside the United States for 04:50.667 --> 04:52.833 both training and assistance to Mexico 04:52.833 --> 04:55.440 Greece , brazil , chile Thailand , 04:55.450 --> 04:58.360 Indonesia , italy Morocco and Israel 04:59.140 --> 05:01.196 from the National Guard Bureau . I'm 05:01.196 --> 05:03.362 Army Sergeant Michael Dan , and thanks 05:03.362 --> 05:05.050 for watching on every front .