Photo By Staff Sgt. Jorden Newbanks | Minnesota National Guard Aviators from the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade conduct their...... read more read more
April 21, 2025 (CAMP RIPLEY, Minnesota) – Minnesota National Guard helicopter crews joined wildfire experts from The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Camp Ripley Environmental Team during a joint training event held at the Camp Ripley Training Center April 16, 2025.
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the average number of wildfires seen in Minnesota each year is around 1,400. In 2023, the wildfire costs, including preparedness, prevention and suppression, topped $23 million. Throughout 2024, there were over 2,000 wildfires in Minnesota alone, which burned approximately 69,400 acres, the highest number since 2015.
The 2024 wildfire season in the United States marked a significant shift in wildfire dynamics, characterized by fewer fires but more expansive and intense blazes according to the National Wildfire Institute. As of October 2024, there were 39,803 wildfires reported nationwide, a significant number although below the 10-year average of 46,409 wildfires.
On Camp Ripley over 14,000 acres of prairie grass and shrubs are burned each year through risk mitigation burns to prevent any potential wildfires from starting or leaving the area. When opportunity presents itself, the combination of training while conducting these burns help several agencies at once. For multiple years the MNDNR has taken this opportunity to conduct multi-agency training events in preparation for wildfire season.
“The occasion to work with our state partners and train for realistic emergency situations is key,” said Mr. Tim Notch, training area coordinator with the Camp Ripley Training Center. “Communication and standard operation may differ between departments, this type of training reduces confusion,” he added.
Army Aviation crews from the Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Combat Aviation Brigade merged training opportunities with the MNDNR and Camp Ripley personnel for several realistic simulated fire attack scenarios.
‘Bambi Buckets’ or Aerial Firefighting Buckets do have a variety of names based on who is using them, designers, etc. but the principle of their use is the same. A Bambi Bucket is made of durable, fire-resistant fiberglass material and metal. It is a collapsible and lightweight water-carrying device that is suspended below and carried by a helicopter. The capacity of the bucket is based on the size and lift capabilities of the aircraft but can range from 72 to 2,600 U.S. gallons of water.
“Working with the National Guard units and Camp Ripley Range Control, we established a helibase and multiple dip points for the helicopters to gather water,” said Shawn Olsen, forestry technician and helicopter operations coordinator with the MNDNR.
The wide-open area of the Ripley Drop Zone worked excellent for a helibase and a setup point for the MNDNR’s project helibase trailer. Following several coordination and safety briefings, the team-initiated radio communications with the ‘Air Attack’ Aerial Supervision platform, Miller Army Airfield tower and the training aircraft.
“The MNDNR has multiple frequencies that we can utilize in different regions of the state,” said Olsen. “We try to select frequencies that will not be impacted by other event s and that the pilots will use when they are ready to lift from or return to the helibase.”
The training mission on Camp Ripley included the establishment of a controlled base station which acted as a fixed central radio dispatching post controlling ground and air units for attacking a fire. The air movement for this event included an Air Attack spotter plane from the MNDNR, one CH-47 Chinook, and six Blackhawks (UH-0L Medevac and UH-60M Air Assault) from the Minnesota National Guard in response to a simulated state activation. The goal is that all air crew members are trained and certified on water bucket operations before being activated to fly a firefighting mission.
“Historically Minnesota Army National Guard Aviation has been called to State Active Duty to support flooding, firefighting, search and rescue, and other events requested by civil authorities at the State or Federal level,” said Staff Sgt. Dan Stolarzyck, crew chief standardization instructor with Company A, 2-147th Assault Helicopter Battalion.
In May of 2013 a wildfire known as the Green Valley Fire burned about 7,100 acres and threatened 50 homes and 1,300 residents in the Menahga area south of Park Rapids, Minnesota. As one of twenty-three fires in the state, Governor Mark Dayton activated the Minnesota National Guard, and 22 Guard soldiers were sent with helicopters for duty to help fight fires.
“In 2013 at a fire near Park Rapids, Chief Warrant Officer 5 (retired) Steven Shoemaker and myself fought fires dropping water as directed by Air Attack with the MNDNR,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Wade Olson, brigade standardization instructor pilot with 34th Combat Aviation Brigade. “I remember flying by a homeowner with a garden hose, trying to stop the fire from getting to his house. We quickly asked to help the homeowner and put the fire out. It was a very rewarding feeling helping that homeowner extinguish the fire in their backyard. The skills I learned on that fire are the skills we teach to our new aircrews and team members. Knowing our flight crews’ can make an impact by dropping water on fires for our Minnesotans in their time of need is special.”
The training event offered a unique opportunity for aircrews and support personnel to work directly with the MNDNR on firefighting and air-to-ground communications. Multiple air attacks were made by the different helicopters as they coordinated with leads on the ground and in the air. The procedures for gathering water from a “dip point”, reporting to a fire area and reacting to the instructions from teams on the ground are necessary to practice and experience repeatedly. Smoke and little or no landmarks can make guiding an aircraft onto a target area challenging.
“On fire scenes we are dealing with complex radio communications, critical crew coordination, aircraft power management, and airspace deconfliction with other aircraft on scene,” said Capt. Sydney Boe, operations officer with the State Army Aviation Office. “This training gave us the chance to practice all these tasks in a low threat environment, so our aircrews and all departments are better prepared to work together when called to fight fires in an emergency.”
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2025 14:02 |
| Story ID: | 496212 |
| Location: | MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 150 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Joint Training Event Gets the Drop on Wildfire Season, by Anthony Housey, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
