Guardsmen Support Incident Commanders at 3 Colorado Fires
From a Colorado National Guard News Release
CENTENNIAL, Colo., June 24, 2013 - The Colorado National Guard is supporting incident commanders at three different fires throughout Colorado: the West Fork complex fire, the East Peak fire and the Lime Gulch fire, officials reported.
Support from the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard at the West Fork Complex Fire includes:
-- Fourteen soldiers of the 1157th Engineer Firefighting Company, along with their high-capacity off-road firefighting trucks and water tenders;
-- Soldiers and airmen manning checkpoints in support of local law enforcement; and
-- Airmen providing a phone, Internet and radio communications platform to facilitate communications between civil and military authorities.
-- Soldiers providing geographic imaging support to the incident commander.
Support at the East Peak Fire includes:
-- A Colorado Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter and crew capable of dropping up to 2,000 gallons of water at a time;
-- Soldiers manning checkpoints in support of the Huerfano County Sheriff;
-- Fifteen soldiers providing firefighting support on wildland fire hand-crew teams; and
-- Airmen providing a phone, Internet and radio communications platform to facilitate communications between civil and military authorities.
Support at the Lime Gulch Fire includes a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter outfitted with a hoist serving on standby for medical evacuation and search-and-rescue operations.
