Tennessee Guardsmen respond to Polk County Wildfire
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Tennessee Guardsmen respond to Polk County Wildfire
At the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the
Tennessee Army National Guard is providing two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, from Knoxville’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion, to support wildfire response in Polk County.
At approximately 8:30 and 8:45 a.m., CDT, both Blackhawk helicopters departed from McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base to combat wildfires just southeast of Turtletown, near the North Carolina border. The helicopters are focusing on areas of extreme terrain, difficult for ground firefighting crews to reach.
Each aircraft is equipped with a Bambi Bucket used to provide hundreds of gallons of water to fight fires and are prepared to deliver water from nearby water sources directly to the areas needed. They are also equipped to perform other missions to support first responders as needed.
The Soldiers and aircrews of the Tennessee National Guard are prepared to support firefighting efforts as long as needed.