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Helocopter Training
On Saturday the 17th of April, Meagher County Fire and White Sulphur Springs Fire joined with Monarch Fire for helicopter training on the Bill Galt ranch. Meagher County is fortunate to have access to aircraft, along with other resources from the Galt Ranch and uses these throughout the year for Search & Rescue, Law Enforcement and fire. For the past several years we have had our annual helicopter training and refreshers. This year the State D.N.R.C. brought over a state medium ship with a crew and fuel truck.
Fire Crews meet the DNRC crews at the Birch Creek Ranch Airport at 09:30. It started with review of helicopter safety and working with the helicopter. Then the helicopter went to the air, fire crews broke into smaller groups and talked the helicopter to their location and dropped water on their spots, just as they would do on a real fire.
It was great working with the Monarch crews and seeing their equipment. If we are requested to help them with a fire or bring them of here, we have already had that face to face without the smoke. This makes it a lot safer for us to work together when there is a real fire.
As the DNRC had a couple more hours of training time before they left and we had a great day for burning, the Ben Galt Ranch allowed us to burn a field just south of the Airport. Meagher County Fire has put together a couple new pieces of equipment. So with the help of the DNRC and the Monarch Fire Department we burned off 150 acres of a grain field. Working together the burn was a total success. The DNRC Helicopter with communication from the ground resources put a wet line between the field and the hay stack. As the burn was located on the West side of US 12 and worried about traffic, Meagher County Sheriff Jon Lopp patrol the highway to keep the traffic slow and safe.
Fire Crews were broke into several crews, some burning; some using engines to hold fire lines; others protecting the highway, pivot and hay stack and the others working with the helicopter.
What a great day it turned out to be outside, doing fire training. As always I again got to observe all the great volunteers out spending their time away from family’s and jobs to assist the residence of Meagher County.
There is concern this summer of a large fire season. We are drying and the fuels out there are becoming more and more bug infested. Lets pray for moisture this summer and no fire starts, but Meagher County Fire will be there to do the best we can to keep fire as small as possible. But always remember property owners are expected to keep you property clear of fuels and help pervent fires.
Twelve (12) volunteers from W.S.S. fire, city and County trained with crews from Birch Creek, Monarch Fire and Grassy Mountain Fire.
Please call Meagher County Dispatch on any burning you are going to do, before you light.
