Search & Rescue

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Story by CPT Bruce Linton, Photos by PFC Joshua Corsa
& SGT Jack Eden   -   Posted Aug, 2001
     On August 18th, Chief Warrant Officer John Taylor and Chief Warrant Officer Noel Larson from the 66th Aviation Brigade, Washington Army National Guard, flying OH-58 (Apache) helicopters, conducted a search and rescue mission with the Chelan County Sheriffs Office.

     Their mission was to locate 25 hikers and campers believed to be located within the danger area of the Rex Fire Complex along Lake Chelan. The hikers were spotted in very rugged terrain and were directed out of the area to safety.

     Three OH-58 helicopters have been used for search and rescue and reconnaissance throughout the fire danger zones to assist local authorities in protecting lives and property.

     The 66th Aviation forward headquarters for Task Force Forward, a part of Task Force Falcon, is located at Pangborn Memorial Airport, Wenatchee. Search and rescue is only part of their three-phase mission.

Blackhawks & Chinooks supporting fire fighting efforts

     The first phase was to set up a base station for CH-47 (Chinook) and UH-60 (Blackhawk) aircraft to conduct fire suppression at the icicle Creek Fires in Leavenworth.

Search & rescue crew during a recent training exercise

     The second phase involved providing OH-58 (Kiowa) aircraft assets to various task force commanders and to support search and rescue support to civil authorities.

     The third, and ongoing phase was to establish a command and control cell for all Washington National Guard aviation operations in support of the fire efforts.

     This included fire suppression missions at the Virginia Lake fires in Omak. The Blackhawk's carry Bambi buckets of approximately 600 gallons of water, and the Chinooks carry Simplex buckets, which hold approximately 2000 gallons. The crews worked feverishly and it wasnt uncommon for them to drop as many as 70 buckets of water a day on the active fires.

     Although the air transportation seems to be more glamorous, elements of the 66th Aviation Brigade provided critically needed ground transportation to and from the fires each day. The military drivers and vehicles enabled the firefighters to reach the front lines, over rugged and sometimes treacherous terrain not accessible to the average vehicle.

     The transportation element is located at the Okanogan Fairgrounds, with 1LT Dan Brewer as the Task Force Commander and Headquarters Liaison Officer. Brewer works to coordinate logistical and operational support for air and ground assets.

     The support provided by the 66th Aviation Brigade, with both air and ground assets, has become invaluable in the fight against fire once again proving how important the Washington National Guard has become to the fire fighting effort.

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