Blackhawks help fight marsh fire
Published 12:00 am Saturday, November 4, 2000
DANIEL TYLER GOODEN / L’Observateur / November 4, 2000
RESERVE – A scene unfamiliar to south Louisiana was set over the St. Johnand St. James parish lines this week. United States Army Blackhawkhelicopters flew attack runs over and over again, descending on a swamp fire that stubbornly burned over 1500 acres of land.
The fire had caused the towns of Lutcher, Gramercy and Paulina to be locked down numerous mornings because of heavy smoke-laced fog.
Schools were closed or opened in late morning. Parish officials from St.John and St. James, along with state officials, worked to control thecreeping flames, but they continued to thrive in a dried out swamp.
Sunday night the National Guard was notified that St John and St. Jamesparishes needed assistance after the parish presidents Nickie Monica and Dale Hymel Jr. declared a state of emergency.Fighting forest fires is fairly new to the Louisiana National Guard. TheWater buckets, designed to carry and dump 5,000 pounds of water, had to be brought down from North Carolina. Monday, the National Guardconcentrated on the logistics of the problem. By that evening the waterbuckets had been delivered and the planning for the operation was in place.
For the next three days three Army Blackhawk helicopters overflew the fire, dousing flareups and piles of smoldering brush. Ground crews dugditches and pumped water from the Mississippi River into the swamp.
Chief Warrant Officer Fours Travis Johnson of Marrero and Kevin Dares of Slidell piloted one Blackhawk with Sgt. First Class Dannie Bergeron ofSlidell and Sgt. James Domzalski of Kenner as crew. The four full-timeNational Guardsmen of the 244th Aviation Regiment have been flying together essentially 13 years, said Johnson.
Before the Wednesday afternoon flight Bergeron gave a flight briefing before take off. After introducing the crew he described the equipmentthey were using and more importantly where not to stand outside the helicopter. The Blackhawk’s blades are held in place by droop stops, but ifthey were to fail the blade would hang about 18 inches off the ground, said Bergeron.
He explained what was to be done in case of an emergency, pointing out proper exits and directions of escape.
“If we go down, after the blades have stopped, meet at the 12 o’clock” in front of the craft, said Bergeron. Inside the helicopter the fire axe, usedfor escape, fire extinguisher and medical kits were all pointed out. Thefire extinguishers are for putting out yourself or the other crew members; it won’t do anything for the aircraft, said Bergeron.
Seats directly behind the pilot face out the side of the aircraft. Held inplace by a harness, the crew member can move in and out of the seat by a reel system which the harness is attached to. A headset is worn by allmembers of the crew, and a button dictates whether the microphone is open or not. “Press the mic against your lips like this,” said Bergeron.With all the wind you may have to cup a hand over the mouth to be heard, he added.
Bergeron sat in the middle of the helicopter held in place by a harness connected solely to the right side of the helicopter, which allowed him to move freely around the left side of the aircraft.
As the engine started the rotor blades began to thump as they cut through the air. As the blades increased in speed, so did the wind. The pilotsprepared to lift off and made sure the crew was all in place and strapped in. The Blackhawk seemed to be pulled from a string as Johnson took theaircraft off the ground. Even though a strong southerly wind blew, thecraft soared through the sky comfortably.
The crew moved from St. John Airport in Reserve to the fire at 70 knots,which is a slow crawl for a Blackhawk, said the crew. But it moved slowbecause the bright orange “Bambi Bucket” dangling underneath the helicopter would start to whip about if they moved any faster, explained Bergeron.
The crew banked west for the Mississippi River to get the first bucket load of water for the afternoon flight. As it came in over the river thehelicopter slowed and Johnson began to descend to put the bucket in the water. Bergeron lay flat on his stomach, head out the side, as Domzalskistood out of his seat with his head sticking out the window, both giving Johnson directions. Left 3 feet, forward 5 feet, bucket is ready to lift,they would direct.
As the pilot has no view directly below him, the crew kept Johnson directly above the bucket until it was clear of the water. Each time theydropped the water, reloaded the bucket or landed the crew served as Johnson’s eyes below the craft.
The water, weighing 5,000 lbs., increased the weight of the craft to19,000 pounds, just 2,000 short of its maximum weight, said Johnson.
Over the Kaiser Aluminum plant, crossing Airline Highway, the Blackhawk flew to descend into the swamp. Johnson lined up for “Old Faithful,” a tallcypress scarred and still smoldering from the fire. Bergeron andDomzalski leaned back out of the aircraft, the wind from the rotors and the speed of the chopper whistling in their mikes. As the Blackhawkstrafed over the tree they called the drop and released the 5,000 lbs of water. Over the tree it washed, smoke and dust swirling out from theimpact as it hit.
Back to the Mississippi River they headed, and they continued to make the circle, along with the other two Blackhawks, for around one and half hours.
Over the headsets the crew talked both lightly at times and dead serious at other times. While working as a team and longtime friends, the menmade a few jokes and comments, but they never forgot their business or the fact they were 250 feet above the ground.
A problem with the bucket they solved quickly in mid-flight, assessing the problem and their options decisively. They fixed the bucket, wires twisteduntil the bottom would not close, in mid-air, without needing to land.
They were efficient and professional. After quite a few runs it was timeto look toward setting the Blackhawk down. It was nearing the end of a10-hour inspection limit, with under an hour until the 10 hours expired.
There are 48 minutes left until the maintenance inspection is due. “Werenot allowed to overfly it, or the Blackhawk becomes safety critical,” said Johnson.
The National Guard assists in all state-declared emergencies. They havedone everything from hurricanes to ice storms to power outages to the rare swamp fire. “We’ve done everything but snow,” said Nuss.Handling the swamp fire took a little time but seemed a routine action for the Blackhawk crew. Though fighting a swamp fire is a rare occurrence, amore able crew couldn’t have been chosen, their company motto being “Born on the Bayou.”
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