The South Carolina Forestry Commission and South Carolina National Guard held a joint training exercise Friday, April 10 at Manchester State Forest to practice coordination and communication on a mock wildfire.
Working with members of the SCNG’s 2-151 Security and Support Aviation Battalion from Greenville, three teams of SCFC firefighters from around the state conducted prescribed burns that served as targets for water drops by a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Firefighters on the ground practiced working through the National Guard’s chain of command to direct the helicopter, which used a “Bambi bucket” to dip water from a nearby lake, for drops on the three fires.
“This kind of training helps our team understand the capabilities and limitations of employing aircraft assistance,” said SCFC Protection Chief Darryl Jones, “and the National Guard also learns about the unique set of circumstances and dangers we encounter on complex, difficult-to-access wildfires.”
The field exercise was the second part of a two-day training, the first part of which involved classroom training on communications, tactics and terminology. The two agencies will hold a follow-up exercise this December.
From the National Association Of State Foresters: https://www.stateforesters.org/news-events/blog/wildland-firefighters-train-national-guard