MARIETTA, Ga.– The Georgia Department of Defense recently supported the Georgia Forestry Commission and the U.S. Forest Service with more than 100 guardsmen dedicated to wildfire suppression operations in South Georgia from April 23-30.
Georgia Guardsmen are trained to fight and win on the battlefield and ready when needed to fight fires here at home.
The Georgia DoD provided eight helicopters, including CH-47 Chinooks and UH-60 Black Hawks, to support wildfire suppression. One HH-60 Black Hawk was dedicated to medical evacuation support, and two D6 bulldozers were used to improve firebreaks. During the weeklong mission, guardsmen dropped more than 600,000 gallons of water on wildfires and improved over five miles of firebreaks.
The Georgia DoD has a long history of partnering with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure the safety and security of communities. With 15,000 employees, the Georgia DoD is prepared for wildfire suppression missions while simultaneously supporting operations in five of the six combatant commands.
Go to the following sites for photos and videos of the mission: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/GNGWF0426 https://www.flickr.com/photos/ganatlguard/albums/72177720333261996