Washington National Guardsmen have provided critical support to combat wildfires across the state, working with state and local agencies to protect communities and infrastructure. Aerial operations began July 19, with two UH-60 Black Hawk and one CH-47 Chinook helicopters based in Deer Park, dropping 970,000 gallons of water over 146.5 flight hours by the 15th day. Ground crews were mobilized July 28 to a fire north of Leavenworth, with over 100 guardsmen deployed by July 31. Additional resources were activated Aug. 1 to assist with traffic control during evacuations near Spokane. Officials emphasized the Guard’s preparedness through annual training with firefighting agencies, enabling rapid integration into incident command systems. The mission reflects a recurring role for the National Guard in wildland firefighting efforts spanning decades.
© U.S. Government.
Summary adapted from https://war.gov
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