{"id":509825,"date":"2025-07-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=509825"},"modified":"2025-07-03T22:15:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T22:15:37","slug":"washington-army-guard-trains-in-water-bucket-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=509825","title":{"rendered":"Washington Army Guard trains in water bucket operations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard conducts water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash.
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\n Lt. Col. Rebeccah Martinazzi, Operations Officer, 96th Aviation Troop Command talks with members of the Central and South Pierce Fire and Rescue during water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash. Martinazzi, a traditional Guard member is a firefighter with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue.
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\n A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard conducts water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash.
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\n Sgt. Tyler Johnston, Crew Chief, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Aviation Troop Command, talks with firefighters from Central Pierce Fire and Rescue prior to water bucket training, June 30, 2025 near Puyallup, Wash.
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PUYALLUP, Wash. \u2014 To prepare for wildfire season, aviation crews from the Washington Army National Guard have been working to become certified in water bucket operations, completing as many repetitions as possible while building relationships.<\/p>\n

Guard members from the 96th Aviation Troop Command partnered with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue to conduct water bucket training June 30 near Puyallup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ability to collaborate with local agencies for wildfire training is crucial to our success during the annual fire season,\u201d said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jarin Trakel, a pilot with C Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment. \u201cIt enables aviators and air crew members to coordinate effectively with ground agencies to manage our drop zones while communicating on various radio frequencies, similar to operations conducted during an actual fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trakel, Capt. Lyndsey Thurston, Sgt. 1st Class Chris Suveges and Sgt. Tyler Johnston joined firefighters from Central Pierce and South Pierce Fire and Rescue to discuss water bucket operations, train on air-to-ground coordination and complete the certification process for 2025. The training was held on property owned by Heidelberg Materials. Crews trained in a safe area that simulated terrain in Eastern Washington and used ponds near the quarry for water drops.<\/p>\n

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\n Sgt. 1st Class Chris Suveges and Sgt. Tyler Johnston, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard lay out the water bucket prior to training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash.
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\n A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard conducts water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash. (U.S. National Guard photo by Joseph Siemandel)
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\n A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard conducts water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash.
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\n A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard conducts water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash. (U.S. National Guard photo by Joseph Siemandel)
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\u201cThis preparation significantly enhances our capacity to integrate quickly and efficiently with these agencies when needed, showcasing our unwavering commitment to our mission,\u201d Trakel said.<\/p>\n

Proficiency evaluations for pilots and aircrew members in water bucket operations are crucial for support during busy wildfire seasons. They are a requirement for aviation crews in the Washington Army National Guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese evaluations are essential to ensure that our team maintains the highest level of readiness to respond effectively during fire incidents,\u201d Trakel said. Concurrently, we provided training to Central Pierce County Fire and Rescue on how to effectively integrate aviation assets into fire incidents in situations where the Department of Natural Resources may not yet be on the scene. They undertook helicopter landing zone surveys, practiced radio communications and honed their skills in controlling water drops on designated targets.<\/p>\n

While urban environments typically offer a flatter, lower-elevation flight path, operating in mountainous regions presents challenges such as high winds and rugged terrain. In such situations, it becomes crucial for both air and ground crews to maintain effective communication. Locating these ground crews and accurately delivering water can become complicated due to varying temperatures, flight routes, and wind conditions.<\/p>\n

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\n Capt. Lyndsey Thurston, UH-60 Blackhawk Pilot with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard jokes with CW3 Jarin Trakel prior to conducting water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash.
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\n A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard conducts water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash.
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\n A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard conducts water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash. (U.S. National Guard photo by Joseph Siemandel)
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\n A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard conducts water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash.
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\u201cOne of the most significant challenges of conducting this training in an urban area is the proximity of structures and civilians to our flight paths and operations. The precision required for water release in areas that need it increases when we are near buildings, roads or public property,\u201d Trakel said. \u201cOur aircrews are consistently mindful of this concern, as it is crucial to avoid disrupting or damaging any land that is not intended to be covered with water. Once again, safety remains our top priority, as we are dedicated to preventing any injuries on the ground and avoiding exacerbating an already dire situation caused by wildland fires.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trakel believes the objective for the day and the lessons learned will help during a potential fire season activation.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach flight served as a valuable learning opportunity for both the aircrew and ground crew. No water bucket drop is identical, as the fire dynamics are constantly changing. The pilots and crew demonstrated the capability to adapt to multiple simulated fire targets, with Central Pierce providing a dynamic set of objectives that enhanced overall awareness and skill,\u201d Trakel said.<\/p>\n

Since 2012, the Washington National Guard has been actively engaged in supporting the Washington Department of Natural Resources\u2019 efforts to fight wildfires across the state. In 2024, aviation crews flew more than 75 hours, dropping nearly 300,000 gallons of water in support of multiple fires.<\/p>\n

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com\/TheNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n

The National Guard on X | X.com\/USNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n

Humanitarian Relief | Army.mil<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard conducts water bucket training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue, June 30, 2025, near Puyallup, Wash. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Joseph Siemandel) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 \/ […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509827,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-509825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=509825"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":509840,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509825\/revisions\/509840"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/509827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=509825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=509825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=509825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}