Tennessee has dispatched two Bambi Bucket-equipped UH-60s from Knoxville’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion to Louisiana to support state, county, and local emergency responders battling the Tiger Island wildfire burning in Beauregard Parish, the largest wildfire in the state’s history.
The 12-person team, including the flight and ground maintenance teams, departed from their base in Knoxville and will be located at Esler Regional Airport in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, for the duration of the deployment.
Gov. Bill Lee authorised the Tennessee National Guard to provide this critical air-firefighting support to Louisiana in coordination with the Tennessee and Louisiana Emergency Management Agencies. While Guard unit operations are normally confined to their home State, through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), States can request relief and recovery support from other States during and after disasters.
Doubtless, further calls will be made to this unit and others for disaster relief operations in the wake of Hurricane Idalia, which is expected to make landfall later today in the Florida panhandle before carving a swathe through Georgia and the Carolinas over the next two days.
