Guardsmen called out to fight fires, heat near Chadron

Only 10 days after Nebraska Army National Guard helped extinguish flames in Valentine, Neb., Cornhusker Guardsmen were tapped once again to battle fires and triple digit temperatures in northwest Nebraska when fires broke out near  Harrison and Chadron.

The Nebraska Guardsmen joined forces with nearly 700 firefighters who were already in the area attempting to contain 20 wildfires burning in Dawes, Sioux and Banner counties. Five fires burned out of control when the Nebraska Army National Guard was tasked to provide the first of what would soon become a force of over 170 Guardsmen.

According to Lt. Col. Darin Krueger, task force commander, the Guardsmen worked well with the local firefighters.

“As soon as the local fire departments found out were available we got several requests for assistance,” said Krueger.

The Soldiers played many roles while fighting the fire, said Staff Sgt. Sarah Pannill, a member of the 1057th Transportation Company based in Chadron and Scottsbluff, including digging preventative fire ditches to help contain the blaze. “In Harrison we worked with the local fire department and ranchers,” said Pannill, “It went really well. It was interesting working with them. We melded together and worked.”

Officials reported the fires were started by lightning strikes from passing thunderstorms. Help was stretched thin along the lines as South Dakota and Wyoming were engulfed in large fires as well. Several small towns had been put in danger when the Dawes county fire burnt over 30,000 acres of landscape.

Nebraska’s aviation units took to the air again with the CH-47 Chinook crews  recording almost over 30 hours with the UH-60 Blackhawk crews not too far behind on hours. According to Guard officials, helicopter crews combined to make 525 water drops putting almost 500,000 gallons of water on the ground.

Another big part of the mission was having the Soldiers help evacuate some of the towns. According to Krueger, Nebraska Army Guard Soldiers worked with the State Patrol at several road blocks to prevent people from going into a danger area. Guardsmen also provided patrols at night to assure no looting was taking place.

“The State patrol worked well with us (and) gave us clear instructions so our Soldiers knew exactly what to do,” said Krueger.

Chadron State College was among the many places that had to be evacuated when fires moved up within several football field lengths of the school before moving in a different direction. That particular fire struck home withmany members of the 1057th Trans. Co., who live in or near the city.

According to officials many of the Soldiers did not have Red Card certification – meaning that they’d been trained to fight fires on federal land – before deploying to the fires. In order to get the Soldiers prepared for the emergency, the Guardsmen attended an emergency Red Card training class before going out on the lines. The 267th Ordnance Company was one of these units. They were just finishing up their annual training when officials extended their orders another week to go fight the  fires according to reports.

Approximately 10 units responded to the state emergency before the fires were finally brought under control in  early August.

According to the Soldiers involved, it was an important and satisfying mission to be a part of.“

Knowing that you are out there helping the community and working together with the community towards a common goal and purpose, I think that really has an impact,” said Pannill. “It is good for the community to see we are still there as a resource for them.”