The Connecticut National Guard needs to be at the ready at all times for difficult and dangerous situations. To prepare, they take part in training exercises on a regular basis.
The Guard conducted a water bucket training exercise in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter over the Colebrook Reservoir in the Riverton area today. The bucket is used to carry water to dump on forest or other large fires.
"It's a thick rubber material with a couple layers over. You got the thick nylon straps holding it. When the bucket touches water it will tips over on one side it will ease in filling up with water. It does fill from top not from bottom so that's why we have to submerge it so it fills up," said Staff Sgt. Adam Soderberg.
The bucket holds 600 gallons of water, or about 5,400 pounds.
Staff Sgt. Soderberg was in the back of the helicopter, assisting the pilot. "Whichever way bucket is swinging you can feel it on the aircraft so you need a bit of coordination between crew members in the back and guys up front."
The team used the Colebrook Reservoir to fill the bucket and dump the water in the same area. The training is so important because the Connecticut National Guard needs to be at the ready to respond to any situation in this state or nearby states.
"Let's say a gas line broke and a fire started we would be able to 600 gallons of water over it, putting out a fire pretty quick," said Chief Warrant Officer Kurt Suitor, one of the pilots on the training mission.
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The Blackhawks are a great tool to reach inaccessible area quickly by air. The goal is to assist civilian crews in emergency situations.
"The Blackhawk can do that what is normally an hour drive from Bradley airport takes us five minutes," said Suitor.
