Photo By Capt. Hans Zeiger | Members of the Washington Air National Guard's 194th Wing assemble supplies as they...... read more read more
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CAMP MURRAY, Wash.--Sixteen members of the Washington Air National Guard's 194th Wing deployed Friday to fight the Whitney Fire near Davenport in Lincoln County in support of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The 194th Wing crew will join members of the Washington Air National Guard's 141st Air Refueling Wing and the Army Guard's 96th Troop Command in the firefighting mission.
In a briefing to crew members Friday morning, Col. Kenneth Borchers, commander of the 194th Wing, commended Airmen for stepping up to help the state in a time when the Guard has already been heavily tasked with domestic operations roles, including support to food banks during the COVID-19 emergency, support to the Washington State Department of Health's voluntary COVID-19 mapping mission, and a military assistance for civil disturbance mission.
Chief Master Sgt. Mark Soulier, non-commissioned officer in charge of the 194th Wing firefighting crew, said that some wing members have been personally impacted by wildfire activity and evacuations in recent days. "It gives us that personal connection to it, because it’s our communities, our houses, our families," said Soulier.
Soulier said that crew members are able to participate fully in fire suppression work as a result of their prior completion of "Red Card" training. "We’ll actually be out there cutting lines and clearing fields and putting out fires," said Soulier.
Staff Sgt. Jessica Furby of Poulsbo, a member of the 194th Logistics Readiness Squadron, said that she volunteered to be part of the crew after supporting the Department of Natural Resources fight against the Sheep Creek and Crescent Mountain fires in 2018. "I’m here to help and do whatever I can," said Furby. "It’s going to be a lot of hard work like it was last time." Furby said that she was inspired by the gratitude of community members who she met in 2018. "The people we helped were very grateful," said Furby. "We could see it in their faces and their actions. Some people, when we were around their homes, came out to say hello and to thank us."
"It’s something that a lot of people don’t get to do, and it does break me out of my comfort zone," said Senior Airman Sean Dutton of Olympia, a member of the 194th Intelligence Squadron who previously took part in the Sawmill Creek fire response in 2017.
For Senior Airman Melvin Williamson of Olympia, a member of the 111th Air Support Operations Squadron who transferred into the Air National Guard from active duty, the Guard mission came as an opportunity to support the state and help to contain the fire. "I hope our efforts can accelerate that containment," he said.
Staff Sgt. Jordan Prior of North Bend, who serves in the 262nd Cyberspace Operations Squadron, said he volunteered to become Red Card certified because it helped to fulfill a childhood aspiration to be a firefighter. "The National Guard has given me an opportunity to both serve in the military and give me a taste of what firefighting is like," he said. In previous years, Prior served on firefighting support crews conducting presence patrols and assisting with evacuations. He said that he looks forward to getting to know fellow Airmen who are part of his crew in the days ahead.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.01.2020 14:23 |
| Story ID: | 379067 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, US |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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