Photo By Master Sgt. Timothy Chacon | Members of the Utah Army National Guard 2-211 Aviation Battalion battle the Tunnel...... read more read more
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MORGAN COUNTY, Utah — Members of the Utah National Guard, flying two Black Hawk helicopters, support firefighting efforts on the Tunnel Hollow Fire in Morgan County July 22-24.
“That one was very challenging because it was a tight area with several helicopters flying,” said Maj. Jeremy Tannahill, instructor pilot for Army Aviation Support Facility. “Aircraft performance is always an issue when you’re flying high, hot and heavy, but we mitigate that with extensive training and the proper crew mix.”
The Black Hawks made water drops by dipping their Bambi Buckets in ponds adjacent to the Weber River. Over the three day period they dropped more than 190 buckets, totaling 101,230 gallons of water.
Utah Division of Forestry officials say the fire is one of several burning that was started by lightning. The steep rugged terrain has provided difficulty for crews fighting the fire.
“This is steep, steep country,” said Jason Curry, spokesman for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. “A lot of these rocks are held in place by trees and other vegetation and when that vegetation burns it releases rocks—large rocks, boulders that can go down and hit the rivers as well as burning material.”
While fire is not threatening any structures, the Weber River had to be closed to recreational activities due to the fire burning along Interstate 84. When fire is burning on the tops of canyons it sucks the air in from the valley below creating large updrafts and turbulent air.
“Every fire is challenging. As a crew you have to pay attention to air patterns and plan your approach accordingly,” said Tannahill.
“That, coupled with the smoke from the fire, requires extra vigilance from the crew.”
“Our pilots and crew chiefs are absolutely among the best,” said Tannahill. “They work hard, train hard, and study hard, and they are safe with what they do. Dedication to what they do and service is paramount.”
| Date Taken: | 07.22.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 07.29.2014 11:42 |
| Story ID: | 137614 |
| Location: | MORGAN COUNTY, UT, US |
| Web Views: | 385 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Utah National Guard Black Hawk helicopters support Tunnel Hollow Fire, by Ileen Kennedy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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