New York National Guard UH-60s conduct fire bucket training at Round Lake on Wednesday, May 13
Training will take place between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
ROUND LAKE, N.Y. (05/12/2020) — New York Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crews will be conducting water bucket training at Round Lake on Wednesday May 13.
The helicopters, which are based at Albany International Airport, will be flying out over the lake, hovering to scoop up water, and then discharging the water over the lake using collapsible buckets. The maneuver allows the aircrews to train to use the buckets, known by the trademarked name of Bambi Bucket, to extinguish wildfires.
Training will take place between 9:10 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. and again from 4:10 p.m. until 7:50 p.m. Helicopters will rotate out to the training location and back to the airport.
If poor weather prevents training, the exercise will take place on May 14.
The collapsible buckets, which are hung underneath the helicopters, can dump 560 gallons of water on a fire. Each spring Army National Guard helicopter crew members and maintenance personnel retrain on how to attach the buckets to Black Hawk helicopters and then practice picking up water and dumping it.
The training is necessary because a bucket full of water weights over two tons and helicopter pilots need to practice flying with that additional weight hanging under their aircraft in order to fly safely in an emergency.
The helicopters will land at the Round Lake Airport, which is off Route 67 on Airfield Road, to hook up the waterbuckets as part of the training.
The New York Army National Guard employs helicopter firefighting equipment when local agencies request support through the New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.
The last time the New York Army National Guard was tasked to respond to a forest fire was in July of 2018. Two UH-60 helicopters responded to a fire at the Flat Rock State Forest in Altona, N.Y. which started on July 13. The aircrews dropped 126,000 gallons of water on the 526-acre fire on July 13, 15 and 16, 2018.
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A New York Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter conducting fire fighting bucket training at Round Lake, N.Y. in 2015.
A New York Army National Guard UH-60 assigned to 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, delivers 660 gallons of water onto a forest fire in Flat Rock State Forest in Altona, N.Y. on July, 13, 2018. Two UH-60 aircrews responded to a forest fire that broke out in Altona, N.Y., and spread across five hundred of acres, from July 13-15. Army Guard aircrews flew more missions in support of fire fighters on July 15. (N.Y. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Andrew Valenza)
New York National Guard
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