CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Recent wildfires in the mountains of southern Kosovo sparked a deployed U.S. Army Reserve flight crew to conduct aerial firefighting training Sept. 6 at a lake near Mitrovica, Kosovo.
The training, conducted by a Soldiers from A Company, 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, out of Los Alamitos, California, and currently assigned to the Multinational Battle Group-East Southern Command Post, incorporated aerial firefighting maneuvers that certified crew members to conduct firefighting missions in the future-simultaneously building personal skills and adding collective capability to their unit.
"The plan was to go back and check on the fires that occurred yesterday," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Eugene Okita, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot with the 2-238th, referring to reoccurring forest fires in southern Kosovo which MNBG-E troops helped fight in coordination with Kosovo's institutions and other Kosovo Force units. These fires, which occurred in a mountainous area outside Prizren impossible to reach on the ground, were fought back with tens of thousands of gallons of water dropped from KFOR helicopters. "We received word around 7 a.m. that the fires were out and there was no need to go back."
With the fires under control and some extra time on their hands, the flight crews took advantage of the opportunity to develop their team members and build skills that will serve them throughout their military careers.
"Our battalion executive officer decided to take this time to qualify other crew members and make sure we are all mission-ready, in case we're asked to respond to other fires," Okita said.
MNBG-E's mission is to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement in Kosovo, as part of NATO's peace support mission in the region. While the battle group's aviation assets must be primarily available for its peace support mandate, the fire response mission was directed by its higher Kosovo Force headquarters as an added capability to support Kosovo's local emergency response efforts.
"It's always good to get more training, especially when it's something new and you have the personnel available," said Capt. Kevin Dowdey, another UH-60 Black Hawk pilot, and a platoon leader with the 2-238th. "More experienced personnel on hand allows for more flexibility when putting a crew together to conduct missions like this at the last minute."
"You never know when a fire could break out and Kosovo's authorities might need us," Dowdey said. "We always need to be ready."
The crews were able to practice the techniques of picking up water in the baskets and learning control the placement of the drops.
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