Aerial Assault A Huge Help In Battling Oklahoma Wildfires

<p>This marks the third week Black Hawk helicopters have been on standby. The soldiers said fighting wildfires in their home state is just as important as going to combat overseas.</p>

Monday, February 22nd 2016, 7:32 pm

By: Tess Maune

Aerial Assault A Huge Help In Battling Oklahoma Wildfires

After multiple days of battling wildfires, Monday was somewhat of a day of rest for firefighters and pilots.

This marks the third week Black Hawk helicopters at the Oklahoma Army National Guard have been on standby. The soldiers there said fighting wildfires in their home state is just as important as going to combat overseas.

“We have a different angle with the fire, so we can get into different areas,” said Oklahoma Army National Guard Pilot, Tyson Phillips.

Phillips is one of many soldiers who help fight the flames from the air.

Oklahoma Forestry Services Fire Management Chief Mark Goeller said, “Our agency is about preparedness and response.”

From the ground, Goeller organizes the aerial attacks; and Thursday was a day he dreaded.

“We were looking at this two or three days in advance; we knew that Thursday was gonna be a bad day,” he said.

And it was.

Wildfires broke out all over northeastern Oklahoma - the worst of it in Okmulgee County. That's where two Black Hawks and two Chinooks were deployed.

Phillips said, “We fly to the fires with the bucket stored inside.”

The crews use buckets to dip into whatever water source they can find. The buckets can hold about 600 gallons of water, which is about 5,000 pounds, and it only takes 15 to 20 seconds to fill them up.

“So our crew chiefs in the back are the ones that actually control the water,” Phillips said.

With a push of a button, the water is released. The water drops can be incredibly effective - putting out flames 100 feet at a time.

In other counties, a single-engine air tanker and a scooper plane were used.

In all, on Thursday and Friday, aircraft dropped nearly 350,000 gallons to save homes and property.

Phillips said, “Whether we know them indirectly, or directly, or not at all, we're all citizens of the state of Oklahoma. There's something a little more special about helping your neighbor that just makes it rewarding for us.”

It’s a huge help, yes, but Phillips said the praise belongs to those who were working on the ground.

“We're a great asset. The guys on the ground are working ten times harder than us. They're in there, they're in the heat,” he said.