DENVER (KDVR) — Loud helicopter noise over the Chatfield Reservoir Saturday was the Colorado National Guard deploying Black Hawks and choppers for a special wildfire training.
FOX31’s Nicole Fierro got an inside look at the operation.
“What this allows us to do, in more of a sterile environment, is really practice and perfect our trade for the small nuances of what matters,” 1st Lt. Kyle Hatton said.
LUH-72 Lakota, UH-60 Black Hawk, and CH-47 Chinook aircrews will fly over the Denver metropolitan area April 13-18, as part of the annual wildland fire training conference.
Aircrafts are dropping water on simulated fire sites, building crew proficiency in fighting wildland fires and assisting ground forces during real-world scenarios.
Pilots told FOX31 the training is even more profound after this past wildfire season.
“The wildfires and the extent of those from last year, it definitely adds an emphasis to what we do, it brings it a lot closer to home considering where it was the magnitude of what it was,” Hatton said. “It makes everything that we do here much more fulfilling because we know we are training to execute a mission that is going to be supporting the people of Colorado.”