Malmstrom Airmen assist in fighting local fire

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jaeda Tookes
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Members of the Malmstrom fire department were requested July 26, to assist with a grass fire in Cascade County north of Great Falls.

Initially, the fire was thought to have been contained according to a report received by local officials at approximately 11:15 a.m.

However, as the day continued and weather conditions changed, the fire escalated.

According to the Great Falls Fire Rescue, the community was in need of more manpower.

“Around 4:30 p.m., we received a mutual aid request to have us assist with a fire 10 miles north of Great Falls,” said Master Sgt. Daniel Parker, 341st Civil Engineer Squadron fire protection flight assistant, chief of operations. “The request was from Cascade County Dispatch asking us to send any support we could at the time.”

Five members of the Malmstrom fire department and two trucks were dispatched to the scene.

“Upon arriving, we were asked by the on scene incident commander to start taking care of the south flank fire, and assist by radio with the crew already on the scene,” Parker said.

According to Staff Sgt. Christopher Edington, 341st CES NCO in charge of logistics, when the orientation of the fire is parallel to the direction of the wind it is called a flank.

Crews on scene had the south flank fire contained until the weather took a turn.

A thunderstorm brewed in the area creating 40 mile per hour winds causing a separate fire to flare up unexpectedly.

“We were initially taking care of the south flank fire, when the west flank blew up,” Parker said.

Because of the intensity of the south and west flank fires combined with the fast-moving wind, local officials made the call to take safety precautions.

Residents north of Great Falls were urged to evacuate around 6 p.m., when the fires flared and pushed smoke south.

When advised to evacuate, individuals are encouraged to adhere to directions given by the authorities and to not go to the scene, as that could be dangerous.

According to local emergency management authorities, individuals should take precautions if their homes are located on edges of fields and to remove brush growing near homes and structures.

“Make sure grass is cut if the grass is growing toward a house or fence line,” said Parker. “Make sure debris is cleared away from homes and fences.”

Family should also have an evacuation plan and an emergency evacuation kit including medications.

“We saw residents evacuating their homes, and leaving their neighborhoods because of the fire,” Edington said.

It became clear that what began as a manageable grass fire had grown into a very serious situation that would require cooperation from both fire fighters and civilians.

“We received a second (assistance request) from the off-base incident commander requesting anyone to send anything they had,” Parker said. “On base we sent out a recall to increase our manpower and sent six individuals with two more vehicles to the scene totaling 11 people.”

According to Parker, Senior Master Sgt. Kenneth Wobse, 341st CES base fire chief, believes in offering the support of our base personnel to the community.

This partnership allows Malmstrom the opportunity to dedicate more resources in times of need as well as build a strong bond of fellowship with local authorities and civilians based on trust and support.

By working together, Malmstrom personnel and local authorities were able to contain and manage the fire despite the forces of nature.

Roughly 10 crews of firefighters responded to the call for help covering ground as far as Dearborn and Fairfield, Montana, including members from the Malmstrom, Vaughn, Black Eagle, Manchester, Great Falls and volunteer fire departments.

“We were able to gain control of the fire around 8 p.m., with all the resources on scene including air drops,” Parker said.

Two air drops in the counties were conducted from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

The containment of the fire allowed for the evacuated families to return home around 9 p.m.

“It is a good feeling knowing we were able to save the homes of those residents,” Edington said.

At least 6,700 acres burned between Black Eagle and Vaughn, Montana.

The official size of the fire is estimated at 15,000 acres.

“As firefighters, it makes us feel good to be the hero on someone’s worst day,” Parker said.

Visit these sources for Great Falls area emergency information:

• Great Falls Tribune: gftrib.com
• KFBB: kfbb.com
• KRTV: krtv.com
• Great Falls Police Department
• Great Falls Fire/Rescue
• City of Great Falls: greatfallsmt.net
• Cascade County Sheriff’s Office
• Montana Highway Patrol: https://dojmt.gov/highwaypatrol
• National Weather Service-Great Falls
• City-County Health Department
• Great Falls Animal Shelter
• Malmstrom Air Force Base: www.malmstrom.af.mil
• Montana Air National Guard-120th Airlift Wing: www.120thairliftwing.ang.af.mil
• Volunteer Agencies
• Black Eagle Volunteer Fire Department
• Vaughn Volunteer Fire Department
• Cascade County Humane Society
• CodeRed app