Activation of Nat'l Guard requested to help fight fires

[Rideback]

From office of Washington Emergency Mgmt: posted 1:00 pm

HAPPENING NOW: A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from the Washington Army National Guard was mobilized today to support Washington State Department of Natural Resources fire crews with dropping water on multiple fires in Eastern Washington.
Gov. Inslee officially activated the Guard to support wildland firefighting efforts, as requested by DNR, prior to a formal Governor’s Emergency Proclamation for Wildland Firefighting, beginning this week. Our agency helped coordinate the efforts and our state Emergency Operations Center will continue to monitor the situation.
The helicopter and crew come from 1st Battalion, 168th General Support Aviation, located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
“Our National Guard members train for this mission every year and the chance to support our neighbors here in Washington during natural disasters is a staple of what makes the Guard so important,” said Major General Gent Welsh, the adjutant general. “Being prepared to activate is critical and our aviation crews are always ready to support.”
This marks the 10th year since 2012 that members of the Washington National Guard have activated to support wildland firefighting response efforts in Washington.

[Rideback]

fixed

[mister_coffee]

Just to be clear, Hilary Franz is the "I", not @rideback. LOL.

[Rideback]

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/fhVrCdRRsZb1vWU3/

"With wildfires stretching resources across the country, we need additional support to keep Washington communities safe from the new fires that have popped up all across Washington. I've asked Governor Jay Inslee to activate National Guard air crews, and am so thankful to have strong partnerships like this ready to go when we need them."