SDM
Story by: Capt. Stephen Martin, Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs Office
[caption id="attachment_3750" align="alignleft" width="245" caption="Kentucky National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter conducts waterbucket operations to aid in fighting forest fire. Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs file photo."]
FORT KNOX, Ky. (Oct. 27, 2010) – Kentucky Army National Guard aviation Soldiers responded over the weekend to help fight fires that had broken out on Fort Knox’s training range areas.
Two Kentucky Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters worked for three days to help contain the fires that had broken out in the area. More than 200 drops were made by the Blackhawks throughout the weekend, helping to contain the fire that threatened to spread.
Staff Sgt. Matt Singer, from Bravo Co. 2nd Battalion 147th Aviation, was one of the crew members helping to support the response.
“We worked well with the Fort Knox firefighters on the ground,” he said. “They directed us to where we needed to go in order to keep the fire contained.”
Singer just recently returned from a year-long deployment with his unit to Kosovo where they supported NATO’s mission to build peace and stability in the area. Bravo Co. conducted troop transport, slingloads and waterbucket operations in support of that mission during their time in the Balkans Region.
[caption id="attachment_3752" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Kentucky Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter helps to fight forest fires through waterbucket operations. Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs file photo."]
“I love the firefighting mission,” said Singer. “It’s challenging to use the waterbuckets and worthwhile to help protect the environment.”
The aviation crews worked alongside firefighters from Fort Knox as well as more than 50 civilian firefighters from area departments surrounding the military base.