CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. – Minnesota National Guard helicopter crews joined wildfire experts from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Camp Ripley Environmental Team to participate in joint training on April 16.
Minnesota has an average of about 1,400 wildfires yearly, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said. Wildfire costs in 2023, including preparedness, prevention and suppression, topped $23 million. Minnesota had more than 2,000 wildfires in 2024. Those wildfires burned about 69,400 acres, the highest number since 2015.
The 2024 wildfire season in the United States marked a significant shift in wildfire dynamics, characterized by fewer fires but more expansive and intense blazes, according to the National Wildfire Institute. As of October 2024, 39,803 wildfires were reported nationwide. That is below the 10-year average of 46,409 wildfires.
On Camp Ripley, more than 14,000 acres of prairie grass and shrubs are burned each year through risk mitigation burns to prevent potential wildfires from starting or leaving the area. The combination of training while conducting these burns helps several agencies at once. For multiple years, the MNDNR has taken this opportunity to conduct multi-agency training events to prepare for wildfire season.
“The occasion to work with our state partners and train for realistic emergency situations is key,” said Tim Notch, training area coordinator with the Camp Ripley Training Center. “Communication and standard operation may differ between departments. This type of training reduces confusion.”
Army Aviation crews from the Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Combat Aviation Brigade merged training opportunities with the MNDNR and Camp Ripley personnel for several realistic simulated fire attack scenarios.
Helicopter buckets, made of durable, fire-resistant fiberglass material and metal, are collapsible, lightweight devices that carry water. They are suspended below the aircraft that is carrying them. The bucket capacity is based on the size and lift capabilities of the aircraft and ranges from 72 to 2,600 gallons of water.
“Working with the National Guard units and Camp Ripley Range Control, we established a helibase and multiple dip points for the helicopters to gather water,” said Shawn Olsen, forestry technician and helicopter operations coordinator with the MNDNR.
The open area of the Ripley Drop Zone worked well for a helibase and a setup point for the MNDNR’s project helibase trailer. After several coordination and safety briefings, the team initiated radio communications with the ‘Air Attack’ Aerial Supervision platform, Miller Army Airfield tower and the training aircraft.
“The MNDNR has multiple frequencies that we can utilize in different regions of the state,” Olsen said. “We try to select frequencies that will not be impacted by other events and that the pilots will use when they are ready to lift from or return to the helibase.”
The training mission on Camp Ripley included establishing a controlled base station that acted as a fixed central radio dispatching post, controlling ground and air units for attacking a fire. The air movement for this event included an Air Attack spotter plane from the MNDNR, one CH-47 Chinook, and six Black Hawks (UH-0L Medevac and UH-60M Air Assault) from the Minnesota National Guard in response to a simulated state activation. The goal is for all aircrew members to be trained and certified in water bucket operations before being activated to fly a firefighting mission.
“Historically Minnesota Army National Guard Aviation has been called to State Active Duty to support flooding, firefighting, search and rescue, and other events requested by civil authorities at the state or federal level,” said Staff Sgt. Dan Stolarzyck, crew chief standardization instructor with Company A, 2-147th Assault Helicopter Battalion.
In May 2013, a wildfire known as the Green Valley Fire burned about 7,100 acres and threatened 50 homes and 1,300 residents in the Menahga area south of Park Rapids, Minn. It was one of 23 wildfires in the state at the time. Then-Gov. Mark Dayton activated the Minnesota National Guard, and 22 Guard Soldiers helped fight the wildfires with helicopters.
“In 2013 at a fire near Park Rapids, Chief Warrant Officer 5 (retired) Steven Shoemaker and myself fought fires dropping water as directed by Air Attack with the MNDNR,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Wade Olson, brigade standardization instructor pilot with 34th Combat Aviation Brigade. “I remember flying by a homeowner with a garden hose, trying to stop the fire from getting to his house. We quickly asked to help the homeowner and put the fire out. It was a very rewarding feeling helping that homeowner extinguish the fire in their backyard. The skills I learned on that fire are the skills we teach to our new aircrews and team members. Knowing our flight crews’ can make an impact by dropping water on fires for our Minnesotans in their time of need is special.”
The training event offered aircrews and support personnel a unique opportunity to work directly with the MNDNR on firefighting and air-to-ground communications. The different helicopters made multiple air attacks as they coordinated with ground and air leads. The procedures for gathering water from a “dip point,” reporting to a fire area and reacting to the instructions from teams on the ground are necessary to practice and experience repeatedly. Smoke and few or no landmarks can make guiding an aircraft to a target area challenging.
“On fire scenes, we are dealing with complex radio communications, critical crew coordination, aircraft power management and airspace deconfliction with other aircraft on scene,” said Capt. Sydney Boe, an operations officer with the State Army Aviation Office. “This training gave us the chance to practice all these tasks in a low-threat environment, so our aircrews and all departments are better prepared to work together when called to fight fires in an emergency.”
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