STEWART BROUILLETTE
Killeen Daily Herald
FORT HOOD -- Equipped with some of the most lethal weapons in the Army, the soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division are trained to fight and win against an enemy army. For about the next 30 days, however, they will use shovels, axes and chain saws to fight a different kind of enemy.
Fire.
About 500 soldiers assigned to three batteries from 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery along with one company each from 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry and the 588th Engineer Battalion were scheduled to begin deploying this morning for Idaho to combat fires which have raged out of control.
"There are such a large number of fires we have tapped out our normal firefighters," said Tom Tobin, a logistics coordinator with the U.S. Forest Service. "When we mobilize a battalion like this, we get 25 crews."
Killeen Daily Herald Photo
Army Staff Sgt. Carlos Cruz, right, helps Staff Sgt. Scottie Roberts of the 4th Infantry Division adjust a newly issued firefighting backpack from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection at Fort Hood Monday. About 500 troops are scheduled to leave Fort Hood for Burgdorf Junction, Idaho, today, to help the U.S. Forest Service fight wildfires.
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Tobin said a typical crew consists of 20 firefighters.
Using active-duty military forces to fight fires is nothing new. The National Fire Interagency Center in Boise, Idaho, has a standing agreement with the 5th U.S. Army headquarters to request military support of firefighting efforts when other federal and civilian resources have been exhausted.
As part of that agreement, 28 Army or Marine Corps battalions have been used to fight fires over the past 15 years. Military forces were last used to fight fires in 1996, and 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment deployed once before, in 1994. That same year, about 1,200 soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division also deployed in support of firefighting efforts.
"One of the reasons we task the Army is they already have a superior command and control structure," said Paul Head, a regional fire management officer with the National Park Service. "Without that we wouldn't have even been able to attempt this."
So far this year, about 2.6 million acres of land have burned in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Currently, nearly 6,000 firefighters are committed to fires raging over 500,000 acres.
Though the unit has been on standby in anticipation of being needed to fight fires, the soldiers received notice of the deployment late last week. Over the weekend, representatives from the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service arrived at Fort Hood to begin preliminary planning with unit commanders and enlisted leaders. Monday, the soldiers were given extensive classroom training in firefighting — something few of them have done before.
"It's a learning experience," said Spc. Ricardo Sahibdeen, a 27-year-old petroleum, oils and lubricants clerk with 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment. "I expect long days and hot work, (but) I guess it's for a good cause."
Other soldiers weren't as confident about the change from driving about in armored track vehicles to jetting across the United States to face the flames and heat.
Killeen Daily Herald Photo
4th Infantry Division soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas prepare to leave to help firefighters battle wildfires Monday. Fire Protection at Fort Hood Monday. About 500 troops are scheduled to leave Fort Hood for Burgdorf Junction, Idaho, today.
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"To tell you the truth, I'm scared ... ," said Pvt. 2 Matt Meadows, an artilleryman with the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment. "I've never flown before, and I don't like fire. It's nerve-wracking, but I'm looking forward to no motor pool for a month."
Despite the mixed feelings, the soldiers are going fully prepared to do their mission. In addition to bringing their basic issue of Army clothing and equipment, the soldiers on Monday were issued sets of flame resistant clothing, leather work gloves, a day pack for supplies, a hard-hat and head lamp, protective goggles, a file to sharpen work tools and a special fire tent.
Tobin said the fire tent is made of laminated aluminum and fire resistant cloth which is used in the unlikely event the user is overrun or surrounded by fire.
"We had a guy who went into a tent and we estimated the temperature outside of the tent was 500 degrees," Tobin said. "He survived."
Tobin added he doubted the soldiers will encounter temperatures any higher than 130 degrees and flames no higher than four to six feet during the deployment. However, operating in the mountains of the Payette National Forest will require acclimation.
"They'll work them up slowly," Tobin said. "They're going from almost sea level to about 8,500 feet."
After two days of additional training in Idaho, the soldiers will begin working to do everything from cutting fire breaks to putting out spot fires.
"They'll face 10- to 16-hour days," Head said. "They're going to fight fires aggressively, but safety is always first."
Col. Bob Cone, commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, of which 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery is a part, said despite the dramatic change of mission, the soldiers have risen to the occasion.
"They're exactly what you challenge them to be," Cone said. "Putting these youngsters under their leadership in a dangerous situation significantly improves unit cohesion. This has a lot of value to it."
While the soldiers are deployed, the conditions will be austere, but nothing the soldiers haven't experienced before. Though they will live in small, two-man tents, they will receive three catered meals a day and have access to showers, telephones and e-mail, said Cone.
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