The United States Army
02/25/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 02/25/2026 15:54
Oklahoma Army National Guard Deploys for Fire Suppression Mission
[Link] 1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption - An Oklahoma Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk flies over the 702 Fire in Blaine County, Oklahoma after dropping more than 600 gallons of water on the fire, July 16, 2022. The Oklahoma National Guard is supporting the Oklahoma Forestry Services and local fire departments from the air using a UH-60 Black Hawk and a LUH-72 Lakota. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Anthony Jones) VIEW ORIGINAL [Link] 2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Staff Sgt. Hannah Bentley, member of the Oklahoma National Guard wildland firefighting program, digs a handline during an operational readiness exercise at Camp Navajo, Arizona, Aug. 14, 2025. The operational readiness exercise tests the OKNG WLFF program members' ability to activate, deploy and conduct wildland firefighting operations. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Anthony Jones) VIEW ORIGINAL [Link] 3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Oklahoma Army National Guard Soldiers construct a firebreak at the Wildland Firefighting Course at Camp Gruber Training Center, near Bragg, Oklahoma, Aug. 21, 2023. Soldiers volunteered for the course to earn their Red Card Certification and to gain the knowledge and experience to respond to wildfire incidents both in-state and nationwide. (Photo Credit: Spc. Danielle Rayon) VIEW ORIGINAL
OKLAHOMA CITY - At the request of Oklahoma Emergency Management and with authorization from Gov. Kevin Stitt, members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard are responding to wildfires in northwest Oklahoma using UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and ground hand crews.
"The Oklahoma National Guard stands ready and equipped with both aerial and ground capabilities to support our partner agencies across the state," said Brig. Gen. Bob Walter, assistant adjutant general for Oklahoma. "We have been in continuous communication with the Office of Emergency Management, the Department of Public Safety and Forestry Services to ensure close coordination."
The buckets used by Oklahoma Army National Guard helicopter crews hold up to 660 gallons of water and can be dropped directly on fires or in areas where incident commanders and firefighters are working to prevent further spread. In addition to aerial support, the Oklahoma National Guard is providing ground support.
"We have two wildland firefighting crews of eight to ten red-card-certified firefighters on state active duty working under the incident command," Walter said.
In the past two years, the Oklahoma National Guard Wildland Firefighting Program has trained 130 red-card-certified Guardsmen and currently has 80 certified and available within the state.
Once a request for support is submitted through Oklahoma Emergency Management and approved by the governor, planners with the Oklahoma National Guard's Domestic Operations Office work with local incident commanders to develop a plan to best support firefighting operations.
"I'm very thankful for the National Guard and the expertise they bring to this response," said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur. "We appreciate the opportunity to work collaboratively with them."
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