National Guard troops to begin firefighter training

National Guard troops to begin firefighter training

By SARAH COOKE
Associated Press

HELENA -- Gov. Brian Schweitzer on Thursday declared an emergency for wildfire danger because of current bone-dry conditions and forecasts for continued hot, dry weather, authorizing National Guard pilots to begin training to fight wildfires. "We will pray for rain and prepare for the worst," he said.

Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Sexton and Adj. Gen. Randy Mosley, who heads the Montana National Guard, requested the Guard activation, writing in a memo to Schweitzer that current fire and weather conditions "indicate strong potential for significant wildfire activity" in the state within the next 60 days.

They warned of shortages in "critical resources" like helicopters and ground crews in the next week if fire conditions continue to worsen, which is expected in the next seven to 10 days.

Under the first phase of activation, National Guard helicopter crews will be trained early next week to fight fires in conjunction with regular monthly training, Schweitzer said.

The Guard helicopters, in compliance with federal law, will be deployed only if comparable resources are not available from local, state and commercial sources, he said.

"The fire season is probably going to be over in the next 50 days, but those next 50 days are going to be critical. ... We want to be ready to respond," Schweitzer said.

Starting Aug. 12, the Guard's Blackhawk helicopters will be made available for initial attacks on wildfires in the Helena, Kalispell and Missoula areas, although other areas could be added if necessary, said Col. Brad Livingston, Mosley's chief of staff. The aircraft will also help with larger fires.

More helicopters, as well as Guard troops and other equipment, would be activated under the final phase of mobilization. That, however, will only occur if needed, Livingston said.

"That's when the National Guard would be activated in large numbers, providing additional helicopters ... and hand crews, where people are trained to go out and fight fires," he said.

Livingston stressed the Guard was not being deployed en masse, and that crews would be called out only if needed.

Currently, about 1,300 Guard troops and four helicopters would be available to fight wildfires, he said.

Schweitzer warned of the possibility for a wildfire "blowup" earlier this year, and in March asked the National Guard to return some of Montana's 1,500 Guard troops and aircraft in Iraq and elsewhere for the wildfire season. He claims the Defense Department has turned a deaf ear to his request, although military officials say no state has been left with less than half of its Guard strength and stress that should be enough.

More than a dozen small fires were burning around the state Thursday, the largest being a 300-acre blaze near Philipsburg that was 75 percent contained.

Firefighters continued to mop up hot spots and work toward containment of the lightning-caused Frog Pond fire in southwestern Montana's Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

"This is a blue-collar operation," incident commander Dave Larsen told crews Thursday morning. "There is still lots of work to be done finding spots and working on them -- nothing glamorous about it."

Four 20-member crews were being sent home from the fire Thursday, officials said. The fire has cost about $1.5 million to fight to date.

In the Lolo and Bitterroot national forests, firefighters were kept busy with small, lightning-caused fires.