Air Force firefighters help to put out Georgia fires

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Eric Schloeffel
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNEWS) --  As forest fires continue to rage through rural Southeastern Georgia, base firefighters are on-scene providing vital assistance to help contain the blaze.

Moody Air Force Base's involvement in the disaster-relief efforts have been continuous since crews received the call for support April 17.

"Our mission is to re-supply other fire departments with water," said Billy Clemons, the 23rd Civil Engineer Squadron Fire and Emergency Services Flight fire prevention inspector.

"Our support is vital because the fire is in a rural area that has very few hydrants, so it's difficult to get water to the scene without us bringing it to them," he said.

The flight performs this mission by using a tanker that can hold 5,000 gallons of water, which can fill up to five fire trucks. Once the firefighters successfully provide water to one truck, they quickly receive another assignment to fill another truck in the vicinity. This allows other fire departments to focus their efforts on fighting the blaze, instead of spending valuable time on finding a hydrant and refilling their truck, said Master Sgt. Ronnie Tolley, Hazardous Materials and Safety assistant chief.

"We're actually shuttling our crews out there in shifts and leaving the tanker at the scene," Sergeant Tolley said. "Ware County with the tanker at all times, and they are relieved every 12 hours by another crew."

Fire departments from throughout the state are currently working to quell the fire, including firefighters from Lowndes, Berrien and Lanier counties. Despite being from more than 60 miles from the blaze, local fire departments in Ware County and the surrounding areas have welcomed Moody's assistance, Mr. Clemons said.

"Moody has mutual aid agreements with Valdosta and Lowndes County, but this is different because it so far away," he said. "But assistance was asked from the entire state, and there are departments fighting the fire from as far away as Macon, Ga.

"The other departments are glad we are on-scene to provide support; they need all the help they can get," Mr. Clemons said. "It's a little different coming from an Air Force base, but we all have a brotherhood as firefighters and talk to others like we have known them our whole lives."

As of April 23, the fire had burned more than 55,000 acres and is 35 percent contained. Eighteen homes have been burned, but no fatalities have been reported. With little rain in the forecast, the flight foresees their involvement lasting for at least a little while longer, Sergeant Tolley said.

"We'll continue our involvement until the fire is out or until it is 75 or 80 percent contained," he said. "I was deployed to Honduras and dropped water from a helicopter onto forest fires before, but I have never seen anything like this. If we don't receive a decent a rainfall, we could be there for a couple (of) more weeks."

Due to the intense nature of this fire, Moody AFB firefighters strongly discourage people from attempting to catch a glimpse or drive through the affected areas, said Mr. Clemons.

"The best advice would to be stay home if you were even thinking of going out there," he said. "So far, there have been more than 1,000 people evacuated from their homes. Even if you don't get too close to the fire, smoke inhalation is a real hazard and you can experience asphyxiation from just walking in the woods."

Despite the inherent dangers of the situation, the flight feels a sense of responsibility and duty to help support the firefighters fighting on the front line to put out the blaze, Sergeant Tolley said.

"Our flight was extremely prepared for this situation, as our firefighters know what to look for and how to be safe in these situations from performing our controlled burns on-base," he said. "It's always good to help the community rather than just focusing on the military-side of our job. I feel proud to do it while representing the Air Force." 

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