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 National Guard Bureau chief: Firefighting and flood efforts "outstanding" By Master Sgt. Mike Smith & Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
                National Guard Bureau
 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Assessing the National Guard's California fire and Midwest flood-fighting efforts first-hand Thursday and Friday, the chief of the National Guard Bureau visited adjutants general and troops in impacted states. "They're handling very difficult and complex issues in a very competent and professional manner," LTG H Steven Blum said during a stop in Iowa. "The National Guard response has been generally superb, a benchmark case study in cooperation among the states for mutual support and cooperation during an emergency. They've achieved the correct balance between local, state and federal response in a coordinated and synchronized manner." Blum had been scheduled to talk with officers participating in a Joint Task Force Commanders' Training Course at U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs on Friday. With more than 280 Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen and 23 National Guard helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft helping California firefighters and more than 2,100 troops and an abundance of equipment tackling Midwest floods, Blum adjusted his itinerary to assess both missions. "It's important to get eyes-on so that we have a comprehensive operating picture of exactly what is being done and we have a clear understanding of what other personnel or equipment may be necessary to move to the area so that we don't leave the adjutant general or the governor short of any capability presently required or foreseeable to deal with the emergency in the future," Blum said. "We like to stay ahead of the emergency." The chief of the NGB's questions for the California and Iowa adjutants general as he visited their burning or flooded states included whether they have what they need, how efforts could be improved and what results they are achieving. "In order to save lives, minimize destruction and assist recovery, we need the right capability, in the right quantity, where and when it's needed," Blum said. "The adjutants general assess the situation, identify immediate requirements and send the National Guard's critical capabilities to meet our communities' needs." California faces hundreds of lightning-sparked wildfires. Parts of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin have been inundated with historic Mississippi River flooding. The National Guard has played vital roles in both domestic disasters. The Guard's key contribution to the fires comes from above: OH-58 Kiowa, UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters spot fires and drop water to support civilian firefighters. RC-26 aircraft give state fire managers vital reconnaissance that improves their ability to effectively focus firefighting efforts. C-130 Hercules aircraft drop flame-retardant that halts advancing fire dead in its tracks. In the Midwest, the Guard's contribution is on the ground - sometimes knee-deep in floodwater. The Associated Press reported that one Missouri levee was so tenuous that only Guardmembers and firefighters in life vests could continue sandbagging efforts. Blum's Thursday visit to California included a Sacramento stop for a face-to-face meeting with Maj. Gen. William Wade, the adjutant general. Then, the chief and the adjutant general met with troops and the state firefighters they are assisting at Chico Municipal Airport. He thanked and debriefed Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen and their Cal Fire-Butte County counterparts before pausing to give a (Chico, Calif.) Enterprise Record reporter his assessment that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - commander-in-chief of the California National Guard - has been superbly competent handling Northern California fires over the past month and has a good handle on providing resources to extinguish the blazes. He called the governor a forward-leaning person who wants to get in front of the problem, not behind it. He also said the governor is proactive, engaged and knowledgeable about current lightning fires, which have burned 7,500 acres in Butte County alone so far, the Enterprise Record reported. During Blum's visit, two C-130 Hercules planes were loaded with retardant and took off toward Whiskeytown, the newspaper reported. Four of eight firefighting C-130s that exist in the United States are currently in the Chico area. More are expected to arrive in the next week, Blum told crews. "The MAFFS were pre-positioned and ready," Blum said. "All they need is favorable weather conditions and they will make a significant impact on the fires. This will not be a case of piece-mealing the capabilities - they'll be able to mass the systems against the fire with good effect." MAFFS are Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems. Initially, air crews were grounded by smoke that obscured visibility. When crises happen, Guard states team up to respond. C-130s from North Carolina and Wyoming have joined California's own aircraft to suppress the flames, and the adjutant general was delighted to see the planes and their crews ready to roll. "These planes are as good as gold," Maj. Gen. Wade said. "They really earn their money for what they do. The same combat skills these pilots accrue in combat are the same skills they use to suppress wildfires - so their techniques, skills and abilities are absolute gold in an environment like this." "There's a lot of fire out there," said Air Guard Lt. Col. Mark Christian, 156th Airlift Squadron. "We love to get out here and fly every day and fly as much as we can. That's why we're here." After Chico, it was on to Colorado Springs for the NGB chief, the only stop Blum had originally planned for, where he assessed Joint Incident Site Communications Capability equipment of exactly the kind vital to firefighting and flood responses before addressing officers who are training to command the joint task forces also so critical to domestic disaster responses. "The National Guard is the first military responder during natural disasters in the homeland," Blum said. "The National Guard's unique capabilities enhance the synchronization with Northern Command and the Department of Defense's partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, ensuring a unity of effort." Blum spoke to 80 officers being certified and trained to lead National Guard joint task forces on domestic missions like the California fires and Midwest floods. On Friday, he continued to Iowa, where he planned to ask Maj. Gen. Ron Dardis, the adjutant general, the same sorts of questions as those he raised in California - only this time targeted at containing water rather than fighting fire. In both California and Iowa, the chief was meeting with familiar faces. National Guard leaders don't exchange business cards during a crisis - they spend years developing relationships that pay off when minutes matter. As the leader of the NGB, Blum works closely with the governors and their adjutants general to continuously assess the National Guard's contribution domestically and worldwide. Previously, for example, he traveled to Kosovo with Gov. Culver to meet with the governor's National Guard troops deployed there, the type of trip that cements partnerships vital in a state's time of need. "The National Guard are the nation's first military responders, and the governors are the commanders in chief of those forces," Blum explained. On Wednesday a National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter plucked an injured teenager from the side of a Colorado mountain after a car crash. The same day, Guardmembers assisted Border Patrol agents in four Southwest Border states, ferried drinking water to residents of several New Mexico towns, supported Louisiana police, provided critical infrastructure protection in Northeast states and California, flew critical air sovereignty missions nationwide and continued Counterdrug operations. Guardmembers also remained on duty on numerous overseas missions, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. "The nation is depending on us to do this and expects us to do this, and we're not going to fail the nation," Blum said. "The Minutemen and -women of the National Guard have been doing this kind of work for 272 years and will continue to do this as long as there's a United States of America. We owe it to the American people to remain always ready, always there." *- Army Lt. Col. Robert Ditchey and Army Master Sgt. Katherine Perez, both of the National Guard Bureau, and the (Chico, Calif.) Enterprise Record contributed.*
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