SOUTH BOISE, Idaho — As the Big Grass Fire continues to burn along the Idaho-Oregon border, the Idaho National Guard has joined the response by providing aviation support after receiving a request through the Idaho Office of Emergency Management.
According to the Idaho National Guard, aviation crews began aerial suppression operations roughly 20 hours after accepting the mission. By the end of Thursday, Guard helicopters had dropped nearly 6,000 gallons of water on the fire.
"This is a risky mission. You're talking about low altitudes, low visibility, shifting winds, external loads shifting underneath the aircraft," Idaho National Guard Lt. Col. Chris Borders said. "But these men and women are extremely proficient in what they do, and they're ready to do this."
WATCH: Idaho National Guard details aerial firefighting mission over the Big Grass Fire
Borders said wildfire response is a mission Guard aviators train for regularly, allowing them to quickly transition from training exercises to real-world emergencies.
"It's what makes us ready to go at a moment's notice to perform this kind of mission," Borders said.
The Guard's current role is limited to aviation support. That includes helicopters, pilots, flight crews and the logistics needed to keep aircraft operating, including mission planning, maintenance and refueling near both the fire and available water sources.
Borders said National Guard resources are deployed only after they are requested through the state's emergency management system.
"Emergencies always start at the local level," Borders said. "As those jurisdictions exhaust their resources, they request additional resources through the Idaho Office of Emergency Management."
The Idaho Office of Emergency Management coordinates those requests, working with local, state and federal partners to provide additional resources when needed.
"What is really important is that relationship and that coordination that's going on, because there are so many different moving parts," said Ben Roeber, bureau chief for the Idaho Office of Emergency Management. "Ensuring that coordination is occurring between supporting entities and requesting entities is crucial in times like this."
Roeber said that coordination becomes especially important as wildfire resources are stretched across the West and multiple agencies work together to respond to large fires.
