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    Cal Guard flight ops keeps aviators connected

    CalGuard flight operations keeps aviators connected

    Photo By Spc. Amy Carle | California National Guardsmen finish checking equipment on a tactical vehicle being...... read more read more

    IONE, CA, UNITED STATES

    04.08.2017

    Story by Spc. Amy Carle 

    69th Public Affairs Detachment

    Rain delayed their home station departure, so they drove to Ione early in the morning to set up for joint wildfire training, which happens annually between the Cal Guard and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) in preparation for wildfire season.

    Navigating a constantly changing environment is nothing new for this crew, which includes signal support, aviation operations and mechanics. They help members of the Cal Guard aviation office stay informed and connected in both routine and emergency situations, including scheduled events like the large-scale disaster exercise Vigilant Guard, and support operations during such events as wildfires and the recent Oroville Spillway collapse.

    “We have our basic guidelines, and then we adjust,” said Sgt. Shaun K. Ochsner, the supply noncommissioned officer in charge for the 140th. “We are set up to be remote, like right now in the middle of this field.”

    IONE, Calif. – An unexpected late-season storm had postponed water bucket training at Pardee Reservoir on April 8, but the forward flight operations crew from 3rd Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, California Army National Guard, out of Stockton, California, was still busy at work, monitoring communications from inside a large tent which served as their temporary command center.

    The Soldiers had set up their tactical operations center (TOC) in the middle of a rutted, muddy meadow near the Pardee Reservoir, just on the outskirts of a helipad. There were no trees or other high points on which to erect their antennae, so they used the only high points available, atop their Humvee and utility vehicle, which they nicknamed “the unicorn” and the “rhinoceros.”

    After 17 years in the field, Ochsner has a lot of experience doing this kind of work, and says the constant change and unpredictability is one of the things he likes best.

    Spc. Julia Ibarra, a flight operations specialist with the 140th, agreed.

    “It’s different every day,” she said, smiling.

    Ibarra was watching the large screen in the tent which displayed the communications network. She explained it as a kind of chat room that connects all state aviation personnel together. The team can track flight departures, report progress and monitor the pilots’ frequencies as necessary.

    While the pilots and CAL-FIRE crews discussed whether the training should be shifted to the next day due to the rain, the Soldiers in the TOC were unfazed by the adjustments. They’ve learned to expect change. The Soldiers in the tent joked about their February drill when they stood waiting to be released from final formation only to learn, that instead of going home, they had been activated to respond to support needs in Oroville. Ochsner reported with pride that the unit had been up and ready in less than an hour.

    “It’s never the same thing, all the time,” he said, grinning. “You always have to adjust to meet the mission.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.08.2017
    Date Posted: 04.09.2017 17:43
    Story ID: 229728
    Location: IONE, CA, US

    Web Views: 50
    Downloads: 1

    PUBLIC DOMAIN