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CONTACT: Eric Durr, 518-786-4581 or (CELL) 518-429-5186
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Aug 03, 2010

New York Army National Guard Helicopters Train Over Mohawk River Wednesday Morning

UH-60 Blackhawk Crew Will Train on Firehawk Firefighting System

COLONIE, NY (08/03/2010)-- A New York Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, equipped with the Firehawk fire fighting system will be training along the Mohawk River near the Colonie Town Park Wednesday morning. The Firehawk system consists of a 1000-gallon tank and spray apparatus that fits beneath a Blackhawk helicopter and can be filled with a pump system and hose from a river or lake in 60 seconds. A flight crew from Army Aviation Support Facility 2 at the Albany International Airport in Latham will be training from about 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, August 4, near Mud Island. The location is approximately halfway between the Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge (the Twin Bridges) and the Crescent Bridge that carries Route 9 over the Mohawk River. The training is part of the New York Army National Guard's annual preparation to respond to requests for assistance in fighting forest and brush fires from state and local officials. In April 2008 two New York Army National Guard helicopters and 20 Soldiers assisted in controlling wildfires at Minnewaska State Park in the Hudson Valley. The Firehawk system was also loaned to the state of California to assist in forest fire responses there, that year. The Firehawk system has been in the New York National Guard's aviation inventory since 2004 to assist local fire-fighters and the Department of Environmental Conservation to control wildfires in NY State. The Firehawk water container can hold up to 1000 gallons of water and can be filled to capacity in approximately 60 seconds. It is able to drop all or just part of its water payload. It can also be filled with other types of fire-retardant material such as foam. Contact the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs at 518-786-4581 for more information.

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© NYS DMNA Press Release:New York Army National Guard Helicopters Train Over Mohawk River Wednesday Morning
URL: https://dmna.ny.gov/pressroom/?id=1280847611
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Page Last Modified: Aug 03, 2010