Chief Warrant Officer Chris Aylstock, Capt. Colton Brauer, Sgt. Chris Boni, of the 1-140th Aviation Battalion (Air Assault) out of Los Alamitos and Scott Corn, Cal Fire manager, battle the Rim wildfire over Yo More
The California Army National Guard's 1-140th Aviation Brigade (Air Assault) battles the #Rimfire in a UH-60 Black Hawk near Yosemite, Aug. 23, 2013. California Air and Army National Guard out in force in suppor More
Jeremy Salizzoni of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), left, works with U.S. Air Force Col. Dana Hessheimer, then-commander of the 163d Reconnaissance Wing, California Air Nat More
Soldiers assigned to 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, practice techniques used to form a fire break during wildland firefighting training near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, More
Jonathan Pilkerton, a native of Laughlin, Nev., and lead saw for the Vegas Valley Hand Crew, explains the proper way to clean a chainsaw to Spc. Robert Sandoval, a native of Hollywood, Calif., and a wheeled mec More
Staff Sgt. Bruiser Denard, a native of Detroit and a lead saw assigned to Task Force First Round, cuts down a branch as part of his wildland firefighting training on Kalispel Indian Reservation, Wash., Aug. 23, More
Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round receive their safety brief at the Colville National Forest, Wash., Aug. 24, 2015. The Soldiers, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, took to the firelines at the Onata Fi More
Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round practice approaching a UH-60 Black Hawk assigned to Soldiers of Company C, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, More
Second Lt. Julian Crockett, left, crew six leader, strike team two, Task Force First Round out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and Chris Scott, a military crew adviser tasked to provide oversight of Soldier More
Pfc. Brandon Johnson, a native of Baltimore, and a Soldier assigned to Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., climbs up a steep hill prior to conducting fire suppression techniques in t More
Soldiers assigned to 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, conduct extraction training on the Kalispel Indian Reservation, Aug. 27, 2 More
Spc. Ashley Thorton, a native of Savannah, Ga. and a Soldier assigned to Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, breaks up hot ground as part of wildfire suppression operations being conducted More
Sgt. Chad Carmichael, a native of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and a flight heath care specialist assigned to Company C, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1 More
Sgt 1st Class Yasmin Bussepaul, a native of Yakima, Washington, and a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist assigned to 792nd Chemical Company, 420th Chemical Battalion, 96th Troop Command, More
Spc. Kenneth Aquinde, a Soldier assigned to Task Force First Round poses with his wife, Andrea; son, Ezekiel, 8, and daughter, Bella, 3, after arriving back to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Sept. 13, 2015. A More
Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 165 prepare the Bambi bucket for the 2016 Wildland Firefighting Exercise aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 5. The exercise was a multiaircr More
R.J. Johnson, a fire equipment research and development manager from the Bureau of Land Management in Idaho, tracks crews and assignments at the temporary Rocky Mountain Area Mobilization Center at Guernsey, wh More
U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Bruce Pulgencio of the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, California Army National Guard, prepares to fly a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter, Saturday, July 28, 2018, from Joint Forces More
Oregon National Guard Soldiers and Airmen practice wildland firefighting during a field training exercise at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) in Salem, Oregon, August 3, 201 More
Soldiers with the Oregon Army National Guard fight the Garner Complex Fire side-by-side with firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) north of Grants Pass, Ore., Aug. 2. Support from the Oregon More
An aircrew from the 163d Attack Wing, California Air National Guard, fly an MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft to the Mendocino Complex Fire in Northern California, Aug. 4, 2018, during a mission to support More
MAFFS 4, a modular airborne firefighting system equipped C-130J Hercules aircraft from the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, arrives at the U.S. Forest Service San Bernardino Airtanker Base, in More
MAFFS 9, a modular airborne firefighting system-equipped C-130 from the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, taxis to pick up another load of fire retardant, Wednesday, August 8, 2018, at the U.S. For More
Two Soldiers of the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 249th Army Band clear debris from a fireline during basic wildland fire suppression training, conducted by the West Virginia Division of Forestry in Morg More
Maj. Evan Dale, Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Kearns, Staff Sgt. Ed Dillon, and Spc. Jack DeAngelo of the West Virginia National Guard’s Company C, 1-150th Assault Battalion deployed to California in September, More
Chief Warrant Officer Chris Aylstock, Capt. Colton Brauer, Sgt. Chris Boni, of the 1-140th Aviation Battalion (Air Assault) out of Los Alamitos and Scott Corn, Cal Fire manager battle the Rim wildfire over Yos More
Jeremy Salizzoni of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), left, works with U.S. Air Force Col. Dana Hessheimer, right, then-commander of the 163d Reconnaissance Wing, California More
Jay Karle, center right, a crew boss assigned to assist Soldiers of 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, points out boundaries to be used during wildland firefighting train More
Soldiers assigned to the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, conduct training at Tower Base Camp located at Kalispel Indian Reservation, Wash., Aug. More
Pfc. Terra Begay, a native of Holbrook, Ariz. and a member of a strike team assigned to Task Force First Round, helps lay an indirect fireline as part of fire suppression training on the Kalispel Indian Reserva More
Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round practice loading a simulated casualty in a UH-60 Black Hawk assigned to Soldiers of Company C, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Comb More
A fire burns no more than 100 feet away from Soldiers assigned to the Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, as they prepare to use fire suppression techniques in hopes of slowing down the Ona More
Second Lt. Caroline West, crew seven team lead, assigned to Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., climbs down a hill while conducting fire suppression techniques in the Colville Nation More
Spc. Ashley Thorton, a native of Savannah, Ga., points out escape routes to Capt. Ghee Jan, a native of Seoul, South Korea and a crew nine team lead, while conducting wildfire suppression operations in the Colv More
Spc. Brianna Hunter, a native of Atlanta and a Soldier assigned to Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, reads to children of the Early Childhood Learning Center in the Camas Comm More
Tom Kruth, right, chief of wildland fire and aviation, Alaskan Division of Forestry, high fives Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis McChord, Wash., following a recognition cerem More
Cpl. Aaron Culler, a crew chief with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 165, observes the Bambi bucket from an MV-22B Osprey and waits to release the water over a designated drop zone during the 2016 Wildla More
Gary Hobbs, Wyoming State Forestry Task Force Leader, briefs Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center leaders on the status of the temporary Rocky Mountain Area Mobilization Center at Guernsey, where wildland firefi More
U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Bruce Pulgencio of the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, right, and 1st Lt. Caleb Brown of the 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, both California Army National Guard, work thr More
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Cameron Davis, a loadmaster with the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, stands under the wing of MAFFS 4, a modular airborne firefighting system equipped C-130J Hercule More
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jason Wales, a C-130 loadmaster from the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, watches as MAFFS 9, a modular airborne firefighting system-equipped C-130 from the 152nd Airli More
Soldiers of the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 249th Army Band work to remove debris from a fire line during basic wildland fire suppression training, conducted by the West Virginia Division of Forestry in More
California Air and Army National Guard out in force in support of U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE battling the Rim fire. Photos show helibase, 1-140th Aviation Brigade (Air Assault), 129th Rescue Wing, cloud c More
An airman from the California Air National Guard's 163d Reconnaissance Wing -- now the 163d Attack Wing -- marshals a U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft, Sept. 3, 2013, at Southern Californi More
Soldiers assigned to 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, practice techniques used to form a firebreak during wildland firefighting training near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, More
Soldiers assigned to the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, walk back to their living areas after being issued tools at the Tower Base Camp located More
Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round dig an indirect fireline as part of training on Kalispel Indian Reservation, Wash., Aug. 23, 2015. The training, which is preparing Soldiers to suppress fires in the More
Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round practice carrying a simulated casualty to a UH-60 Black Hawk assigned to Soldiers of Company C, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Com More
Spc. Lindsey Fraire, a member of Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., removes debris in support of fire suppression of the Onata Fire burning in the Colville National Forest, Washing, More
Chris Scott, a military crew adviser tasked to provide oversight of Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round, offers Staff Sgt. Michael Burnett, crew six, strike team two, advice when using his assigned chai More
Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., climb up a steep hill prior to conducting fire suppression techniques in the Colville National Forest, Wash., Aug. 26, 2015. More
Spc. Ashley Thorton, center left, a native of Savannah, Ga. and his fellow Soldiers, all assigned to Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, speak to Ray Miller, the Onata Fire Safety Officer i More
Spc. Brianna Hunter, left, a native of Atlanta, and Lt. Kelsey Fincher, a native of Snellville, Georgia, both of Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, pose for a photo with children of the Ea More
Lt. Col. James Dunwoody, commander, Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., holds up a plaque during a recognition ceremony at the Kalispel Indian Reservation, Sept. 13, 2015. Dunwoody a More
Cpl. Aaron Culler, a crew chief with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 165, observes the Bambi bucket below an MV-22B Osprey and waits for the bucket to fill with water during the 2016 Wildland Firefightin More
A wildland firefighting crew from New Jersey loads its gear and prepares to depart for one of the many fires burning in the region at the temporary Rocky Mountain Area Mobilization Center at Guernsey. Camp Guer More
U.S. Army Sgt. Brian Taylor, a UH-60L Black Hawk crew chief with the 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, California Army National Guard, works outside the helicopter, Saturday, July 28, 2018, during preflig More
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Michael Chacon of the 163d Operations Support Squadron, 163d Attack Wing, California Air National Guard, looks at a fire map for the Mendocino Complex Fire, Aug. 4, 2018, while work More
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Graham Devine, a loadmaster with the 143rd Airlift Wing, Rhode Island Air National Guard, stands behind MAFFS 4, a modular airborne firefighting system equipped C-130J Hercules aircraf More
MAFFS 9, a modular airborne firefighting system-equipped C-130 from the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, is reloaded with fire retardant, Wednesday, August 8, 2018, at the U.S. Forest Service San More
A soldier of the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 249th Army Band sprays a defensive fire break barrier mixture from a backpack unit during basic wildland fire suppression training, conducted by the West Vir More
The California Air National Guard, 129th Rescue Wing's HH-60 Pave Hawk air crews battle the Rim Fire over Yosemite National Park, Aug. 22, 2013. The California National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk and HH-60 Pave Haw More
Soldiers assigned to 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, are issued equipment prior to conducting wildfire firefighting training near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Aug. 20, 20 More
Soldiers assigned to the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, living quarters lie positioned next each other as smoke fills the sky at sunset at the More
Sgt. Andrew Milzarski, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan and a member of a strike team assigned to Task Force First Round, removes debris during training on how to create an indirect fireline on the Kalispel I More
Second Lt. Travis Vaughn, a native of Greensboro, N.C. and a Soldier assigned to Task Force First Round out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., briefs his Soldiers prior to conducting fire suppressions techniqu More
Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., look on as Steve Eaheart, a resident of Aiken, S.C., uses a drip torch to start a burnout in the Colville National Forest, Wa More
Spc. Ashley Thorton, a native of Savannah, Ga. and a Soldier assigned to Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, sprays hot ground as part of wildfire suppression operations being conducted in More
Chris Scott, center, military crew advisor, Task Force First Round presents Soldiers with task round ceremonial patches during a recognition ceremony at Kalispel Indian Reservation, Wash., Sept. 13, 2015. The m More
A Marine with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 165 closes a Bambi bucket after the 2016 Wildland Firefighting Exercise, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 6. The exercise was a multiairc More
A UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter assigned to the California Army National Guard takes off from Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, California, on Saturday morning, July 28, 2018, to support firefighting eff More
An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft from the 163d Attack Wing, California Air National Guard, takes off from March Air Reserve Base, California, Aug. 1, 2018, to provide critical visualization and mapping More
MAFFS 9, a modular airborne firefighting system-equipped C-130 from the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, taxis after picking up a load of fire retardant, Wednesday, August 8, 2018, at the U.S. For More
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick McBride, left, and Maj. Nick Kim, right, both of the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, sit in the cockpit of MAFFS 4, a modular airborne firefighting system equi More
Members of the West Virginia Army National Guard’s 249th Army Band participate in basic wildland fire suppression training, conducted by the West Virginia Division of Forestry in Morgantown, West Virginia, Oct. More
Chief Warrant Officer Chris Aylstock, Capt. Colton Brauer, Sgt. Chris Boni, of the 1-140th Aviation Battalion (Air Assault), out of Los Alamitos and Scott Corn, Cal Fire manager battle the Rim wildfire over Yos More
Fire burns through a trees during the Rim Fire, as seen in a screen capture of video footage from a U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft flown Sept. 1, 2013, by the California Air National Gua More
First Lt. Alex Johnson, a wildland firefighting team leader, assigned to 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, strikes down brush as part of training near Joint Base Lewis-M More
Sgt. Chad Guthrie, public affairs broadcast specialist, 28th Public Affairs Detachment, walks through an area of land slated to be cleared during the training of Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round on t More
Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round prepare to lift a simulated casualty and carry him to a UH-60 Black Hawk assigned to Soldiers of Company C, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regim More
Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round stand in front of a burned out section of the Colville National Forest, Wash., Aug. 24, 2015. The Soldiers, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, are supporting firefighte More
Chris Scott, a military crew adviser tasked to provide oversight of Soldiers assigned to Task Force First Round, drinks water in between overseeing the Soldiers, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., conduct More
Steve Eaheart, a resident of Aiken, S.C., uses a drip torch to start a burnout in the Colville National Forest, Wash., Aug. 26, 2015. Soldiers of Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, helped More
Lt. Col. James Dunwoody, left, commander, Task Force First Round, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and Rod Blooms, military liaison officer, National Interagency Fire Center, pose for a photo during a re More