Photo By 1st Lt. Christopher Sequeira | U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Shauna Bonham, 256th Intelligence Squadron, Washington Air...... read more read more
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Over 100 Washington National Guard members arrived at the Little Giant Fire base camp in Plain, WA, on August 2. When they arrived, the fire was around 27k acres and 0% contained. At the end of the Washington National Guard's first two weeks, the fire was over 129k acres and 10% contained. Fourteen members from the 194th Wing were activated to support wildland firefighting on hand crews.
Tech Sgt. Shauna Bonham, a traditional guard cybersecurity intelligence airman from the 256th Intelligence Squadron, was one of the first boots on the ground for the Washington National Guard. She put her life on pause, including her husband, child, and full time job as a network engineer, to come out and assist on the wildland firefighting hand crews. “I like traditional Guard activations because you get to serve your community,” she said.
Hand crew work involves using hand tools to dig containment lines through thick brush and trees to mitigate the spread of fire. After a fire burns through an area and the ground begins to cool, crews mop up the area by using their hand tools to mix cold dirt with residual heat or burning ground cover.
“It was really invigorating. It tested me in different ways that I hadn't anticipated. I got to get involved with a different group of people that I wouldn't normally be able to see,” said Bonham.
Every crew member carries everything they need all day, including food and water, for challenging shifts that often extend over 10 hours. Crews work every day for 14 days and then switch out with fresh crews for rest and recuperation. “I have mad respect for people who do this as a full-time job or even as a part-time job,” she said.
Hand crews can be tasked to support other agencies or crews, depending on the needs as determined by the task force commander. Bonham's crew supported the Tahoe Hotshots during her 14-day orders. “Watching the Tahoe Hotshots shoot off the canisters up into the trees and seeing how dramatically the fire activity can change… considering we live in an area that has fire hazards all the time, it was really neat to be able to learn how all of that works,” she said.
Washington National Guard members are certified to work on hand crews by completing a four-day training course from the Washington Department of Natural Resources. “I thought it would be a really neat opportunity to do something different,” Bonham said about volunteering for hand crew training.
| Date Taken: | 08.21.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.21.2026 16:31 |
| Story ID: | 573017 |
| Location: | PLAIN, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 94 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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