At the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee National Guard is providing two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, from Knoxville’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion, to support wildfire response in Anderson County.

The Tennessee National Guard was notified of the request around 6:00 a.m. CDT, and between approximately 8:15 and 8:30 a.m., CDT, both Blackhawk helicopters departed from McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base. Each aircraft is equipped with Bambi Buckets used to provide hundreds of gallons of water to fight wildfires and are prepared to deliver water from nearby water sources directly to the needed area, as well as any other missions that support first responders.

The Soldiers and aircrews of the Tennessee National Guard are prepared to support firefighting efforts as long as needed.