U.S. Army Reserve Aviation Command uses Total Force Approach to support the Wildfire Relief Efforts in Kansas

Photo By Maj. Matthew Roman | Aircrews from the 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade (ECAB) flew three CH-47 Chinooks helicopters, specially outfitted with Bambi Bucket equipment, to assist in the relief efforts of those who were affected by the wildfires, Mar. 9. The 11th ECAB is a subordinate unit under the Army Reserve Aviation Command (ARAC). The Army Reserve Aviation Command’s mission is to provide mission command to all assigned units in order to deploy trained and ready Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigades and Theater Fixed Wing Battalions to a specified area of operations in support of the combatant commander. Its capabilities include air assault, air movement, aeromedical evacuation, casualty evacuation and civil support operations. Army Reserve units have capabilities critical to DSCA response, including search and rescue, aviation, engineer, transportation, medical and communications support. The Army Reserve has Soldiers and equipment in more than 1,100 communities across the nation allowing immediate respond to local emergencies. We stand with our nation in support of our neighbors and our primary concern is their safety and well-being. (U.S. Army Photo by Capt. Matthew Roman, Army Reserve Aviation Command Public Affairs Officer)  

OLATHE, KS, UNITED STATES

03.10.2017

Story by Capt. Matthew Roman 

Army Reserve Aviation Command

Under the operational guidelines outlined in the Immediate Response Authority, DoD Directive 3025.18, elements of the Army Reserve Aviation Command (ARAC) met the call to man, equip and execute their first ever air mission within 30 hours of alert. Immediate Response Authority authorizes local Army Reserve commanders at the request of a local civil authority to take action to save lives, prevent human suffering or mitigate great property damage in a situation of urgency for up to 72-hours when there is insufficient time to gain approval from higher headquarters.

ARAC soldiers from the 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade (ECAB), assisted in the emergency operations in the Kansas area to support federal, state and local authorities combating wildfires that impacted more than 15 counties in Kansas from March 8-10, 2017.

Three CH-47 Chinook Helicopters with crews and support personnel comprised of over 23 Soldiers, Military Technicians (MILTECH) and Department of the Army Civilians (DAC) from Bravo Company 7th Battalion, 1-158th Aviation Regiment based at the New Century Air Center in Olathe, Kan., provided immediate assistance to the affected area and citizens in need.

“Without the willingness and expertise of our Soldiers and Aviation Support Facility personnel to drop everything that they were doing and immediately fly to help out their neighbors in the affected areas, I believe our mission would not have been a success”, added Col. Jerome Clarke, Commander of the 11th ECAB.

Adding to the challenges of an immediate response, Bravo Company currently has about two thirds of its unit and aircraft deployed overseas. In order to meet this specific requirement, the ARAC’s executed its own total force approach, bringing Soldiers and MILTECHs from our unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., to Kansas to meet the mission’s manning requirement.

In keeping with the guidance of the Army Reserve’s leadership, the ARAC embodies the ability to provide the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal federal reserve aviation force in the history of our nation. While this remains our core mission, a mission of this magnitude would not have been possible if the ARAC had not utilized their Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) expertise into its reoccurring training models.

The ARAC consists of 10 Commands, 4,000+ military, 600+ civilian, resides in 12 States and 14 Aviation Support Facilities across the nation providing a vital capability for immediate response during local emergencies.

• Date Taken: 03.10.2017
• Date Posted: 03.22.2017 09:22
• Story ID: 227687
• Location: OLATHE, KS, US
• Hometown: FORT KNOX, KY, US