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 NEWS
 Soldiers train on Bambi bucket to fight fires in Kosovo By Sgt. Joshua Dodds
                North Dakota National Guard
 GJAKOVA/DJAKOVICA, Kosovo, - Multinational Battle Group East
aviation Soldiers carried the water, literally, as they tested their
firefighting skills recently at Lake Radonjicko. The training took place in the Italian area of operations in Multinational
Battle Group West. A nearby airport served as a staging area and the Italian
Air Force provided support. Capt. Daniel Lee, 2-151st Security and Support Battalion of the South
Carolina National Guard said multiple air crews were trained during the
three-day period. The crews used a UH-60 Blackhawk and a Bambi bucket to lift 76 loads of
water, each containing about 600 gallons. "It collects water and disburses it on fires, mostly to put out hot spots,"
said 1st Sgt. Larry Taylor, the senior enlisted Soldier with Detachment 1,
Bravo Company, 777th ASB of the South Carolina Guard. The aviation element of MNBG E is a combination of four company-sized
elements, 2-151st Security and Support Battalion from South Carolina, the
1-777th Aviation Support Battalion from Virginia, and from Kentucky: the
2-147th Aviation Battalion and a detachment of the 1-169th Aviation
Battalion-MEDEVAC. The training allowed the flight crews to sharpen their skills. Understanding
how to use the Bambi Bucket can be used to potentially assist the people in
Kosovo in a fire emergency, and the crews will also be able to use their
skills when they return to the U.S. to help their neighbors and fellow
citizens. "This training was conducted to familiarize new Soldiers and to be a
refresher for some of the crews who completed this training prior to
mobilization," Taylor said. Though the training lasted three days, it was day one that posed the biggest
challenge. "The buckets are slightly different here, and they have a slightly different
mechanism for letting the water out with a 'Torrentula' valve," said Sgt.
Jeremy S. Knight, a crew chief with Bravo Company, 2-147th. "It dumps
different and takes on water a little different, but it was nothing we
couldn't quickly adjust to after a couple of runs." Flight crews on a Blackhawk helicopter worked together to coordinate the
operation of the Bambi Bucket to ensure the safety of the crew and
equipment, as well as those on the ground. Fire fighters on the ground or from the air often give guidance to the pilot
where the water needs to be dropped and the pilot relays to the crew chief
when to drop the water, said Knight. The directions ensure that the crew
drops the water load in the correct place, which in some cases, could be a
location where ground firefighters may be trapped.
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