‘Texans Helping & Saving Texans’: Texas A&M Forest Service increasing aid to the Big Country

ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – The Texas A&M Forest Service station at the Abilene Airport acquired two Black Hawk helicopters to assist in managing wildfires as the risk statistics increase.

The Texas A&M Forest Services’ most recent Fire Danger Forecast, which analyzes conditions throughout the state of Texas for their potential wildfire risks, has set the area of the Big Country as a literal hot zone for potential fire danger. The areas with the highest risks are primarily in the central and western regions of the state of Texas. In response to this, the A&M Forest Service Station at the Abilene Airport is accepting the help of military black hawks, courtesy of the Texas Army National Guard. Program Coordinator for Rotor Wing Aviation for the Texas A&M Forest Service, Elise Roberts, spoke about how their Fire Danger Forecast corresponds with their response in high-risk areas.

“So as a result of that, we then will staff more resources in those areas, such as aircraft task forces, strike teams of engines in different locations that are able to respond quickly to any new starts within that kind of problematic area,” Roberts shared.

Two Black Hawk helicopters from the Texas National Guard base in San Antonio are now stationed at the Abilene Airport and have been responding to fires in the Big Country area since the beginning of August. They are predicted to be at the Abilene station until sometime in mid-September, when the wildfire season drops, but Roberts explained that since their arrival, these crews have been working nonstop in our area.

“They’ve been here since August 6th, and they’ve pretty much been on a fire almost every day except for about two or three days,” Roberts said.

One of the pilots of the two Black Hawk helicopters, Captain Tom Molnar, from the Texas National Guard, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, spoke about their methods for tackling fires in our area.

“The idea here is to have us an immediate response. So, we can get off the ground here in about 15 minutes, and we have two Bambi buckets in the back. Basically, orange buckets dangle down about 40 feet and hold about 500 gallons of water,” Molnar explained.

Due to the increased risks in our area this season, Molnar and his crew have been working almost daily since their arrival. They believe that the people’s needs outweigh the risks they take.

“That’s kind of our whole mantra here: Texans helping and saving Texans.”

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