On Sep. 5, 2020, a rapidly growing fire in the Sierra Nevada Forest near Fresno, California, had surrounded and trapped a group of campers, hikers, and residents. With no way to escape, the California National Guard 40th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) was called in for the rescue.
Helicopter Association International is recognizing the CAB crews, who used CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to rescue that group, with the 2021 Humanitarian Service Award. Sponsored by Sikorsky, the award honors “the person or persons who best demonstrate the value of helicopters to the communities in which they operate by providing aid to those in need.”
The most deployed unit of the California National Guard, the 40th CAB often provides support to Cal Fire during fire seasons. When the Creek Fire raged, Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) Kipp Goding received a call at home from his brigade commander, who relayed that people near the Mammoth Pools Reservoir needed to be airlifted to safety. A Black Hawk pilot-in-command based out of Fresno, Goding assembled a crew that included pilot CW2 Irvin Hernandez and crew CW1 Ge Xiong.
Meanwhile, the brigade commander had similarly contacted Chinook pilot-in-command CW5 Joseph Rosamond, who pulled together his Stockton, California-based crew: pilot CW2 Brady Hlebain, flight engineer Sgt. George Esquivel, and flight engineer Sgt. Cameron Powell.
“What followed was a harrowing night that tested the limits of the crews and aircraft alike. An inferno fueled by bone-dry vegetation, bark beetle–killed trees, and strong winds, the Creek Fire was unpredictable, creating so much smoke the pilots couldn’t see to fly through it,” HAI said.
With Cal Fire active tanker drops ongoing, the helicopter crews were forced to wait until sunset before they could enter the affected area. Night-vision goggles helped them see through the smoke. The Chinook was the first to arrive and landed on a boat ramp at the reservoir’s edge with the fire burning all around, HAI said.
Once there, the crew quickly went to work triaging the injured, prioritizing those most in need of help.
“These people were in flip-flops and Bermuda shorts, dressed to enjoy the Labor Day weekend,” Goding said. “They had burns, broken bones, difficulty breathing, and bad scrapes.”
The two helicopters ultimately flew three missions each and rescued a combined 242 people, along with a number of pets.
“It was really brutal,” Goding says. “We’d return to Fresno, refuel, and head back. By that time, the fire was in a new position. During the day, the wind made it jump over vegetation, leaving green spots. After sunset, the wind died down a bit, and the fire started burning those previously unburned areas.” Because of this, the crews had to find a new route to the reservoir each time they returned. “No two trips were the same route,” he said.
With the aircraft limits in the high altitude and extreme temperatures approached from the fires along with maximum weights reached, mechanics inspected the aircraft on each return before clearing them to continue to the next missions.
“In many ways, this was much worse than flying in combat,” Goding recalled. “In combat, you don’t see people shooting at you. You focus on the job. In the Creek Fire, you saw the wall of smoke and flames. You were flying into it and seeing the terror on people’s faces.”
But he emphasized. “We did the job, just as any of our guard members would…We may be the ones that did this job, but we’re all doing these jobs every day.”
HAI is honoring the recipients of its Salute to Excellence awards programs through a series of topical webinars.