Photo By Spc. Shelby Bickmore | Utah Army National Guard pilots assigned to 211th Aviation Regiment fill a bucket with...... read more read more
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CAMP WILLIAMS, Utah – Firefighters assigned to Utah Unified Fire Authority and Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, Utah National Guard, participated in a wildfire containment training at Camp Williams, Utah, May 16-17, 2025. With summer heat approaching, and the risk of wildfires increasing, UFA is training to fight conditions that may threaten summer plans. This training prepares the firefighters and Soldiers to fight wildfires both in Utah and throughout the United States.
“Wildfire season used to mostly be the summer months,” said Paul Story, UFA fire management officer. “Now, the fires are more common so the season is longer.”
Day one started with the firefighters receiving a brief on how the overall training was to be carried out. After receiving radios and frequencies to communicate, they loaded up in vehicles and drove to the training site. Upon reaching their destination, the firefighters jumped out of the trucks, hooked the hoses up to their water supply and started spraying designated areas to combat simulated wildfire. Several units focused on spraying the edges of the mock blaze, which prevented the flames from spreading any further. Organizers of the event did their best to simulate the area that can be covered when a wildfire does happen, however they said they weren’t able to simulate every situation that may arise during a real wildfire.
“[The fire] grows and expands and contracts,” explained Story. “Spot fires happen, and so everyone has to be flexible and react.”
Although the training atmosphere didn’t completely match a real wildfire, the firefighters were still expected to follow orders whether or not the person in the position changed.
“A lot of times the incident command system needs to expand,” Story explained. “So you need to identify people who are in divisions and groups.”
While firefighters carried out their training on foot, Utah Guard Soldiers provided air support. Day two of training started with briefs and preparation of three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to fill and drop water buckets on the locations of the simulated fires.
“They (the firefighters) taught us where to drop, when to drop, [and] how to get on location so we can get the water to the right places,” said Spc. Jacob Tindell, a crew chief assigned to 2-211th Aviation Reg.
In the sky above Camp Williams, the aircrews worked with personnel on the ground to dump their water buckets where the firefighters needed it most.
“A lot of this training is so we can be more of a help and more available when fire season does kick up,” Tindell explained.
Communication between air crew and firefighters on the ground was essential to ensure this portion of the training progressed smoothly. A lot of expectation is placed on the crew chiefs in the helicopters to get the bucket prepared for the water.
“To start, you have to work with the pilot up front to walk the bucket towards the dip tank or lake,” explained Sgt. Tyler Fairbanks, a crew chief also assigned to 2-211th Aviation Reg. “The crew chief counts the pilot, or the helicopter, to the water to get the bucket full.”
Integrating Black Hawks into the training enables water to get to parts of the fire that would be more difficult, or -outside of training- too dangerous for the firefighters to get to.
“The pilot will get the helicopter lined up with the fire… and then it’s the crew chief’s job to dump the water on the fire,” Fairbanks said. “If you’ve fought fires a few times, you can get it right on the fire.”
This training allowed firefighters and Soldiers to work together in preparation for missions they may be called for during this upcoming wildfire season.
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2025 16:34 |
| Story ID: | 499898 |
| Location: | UTAH, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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