Air crews ready for fire call
Air crews in Grand Prairie are ready to answer the call for help in response to the threat of wildfires in areas across the state.
On January 30, Governor Rick Perry issued a disaster proclamation for 152 Texas counties in response to the threat posed by wildfires rapidly spreading due to the dry, windy conditions. The area covers mostly counties to the north and west of Grand Prairie.
Governor Perry authorized the activation of ten National Guard helicopters state wide for use in wildfire suppression. Two of the helicopters activated are staged in Grand Prairie.
Colonel Wayne Sinibaldi, Texas National Guard, said currently two CH-47 Chinook helicopters with twelve personnel from the 2-149th GSAB in Grand Prairie are on stand-by to fly wildfire suppression missions. Also staged in Grand Prairie are two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with 11 personnel from the Louisiana National Guard to assist. The CH-47’s utilize a 2000 gallon Bambi Bucket while the UH-60’s use a 600 gallon Bambi Bucket to dump water on fires, he said.
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has also been alerted and in preparation. Aircrews have been selected for on-demand quick response to fly fire watch missions, said Capitan Arthur E. Woodgate, CAP.
Capitan Woodgate said the current situation “does not parallel 2005” when the CAP discovered 300 fires, mostly in thinly populated areas where early detection from the ground is extremely difficult.
He said Grand Prairie’s Crusader Composite Squadron is on stand-by and prepared to fly missions any where in the state should the State Operations Center request the CAP’s assistance.
