Archive image: Tennessee Army National Guard UH-60V Black Hawk assigned to 1/230th Assault Helicopter Battalion trained with the Tennessee Department of Forestry to practice aerial firefighting techniques, at Milan’s Volunteer Training Site.
Guardsmen used UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters equipped with ‘Bambi Buckets’ to drop water on flaming targets, while Department of Forestry personnel directed them from the ground.
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Cordeiro.
Story by Ly. Col. Darrin Haas, Tennessee National Guard
At the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, a Tennessee Army National Guard UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter aircrew, from Jackson’s Army Aviation Support Facility, supported firefighters battling an industrial fire at the Sigma Renew 360 plant in Henry County. May 8, 2026.
At approximately 5:40 p.m., a UH-60V Black Hawk aircrew with the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion departed Jackson equipped with a Bambi Bucket used to drop hundreds of gallons of water, typically sourced from nearby lakes, onto large fires. The UH-60V aircrew, consisting of 1st Lt. Lee Friedman, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Phillip Norris, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Ricketts, and Spc. Ethan Norris, had just participated in wildland firefighting training with the Tennessee Forestry Department earlier that morning, practicing bucket drops at Milan’s Volunteer Training Center.
The UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter arrived at the Signa Renew 360 plant at roughly 6:05 p.m. and immediately began dropping water onto the industrial fire. They collected water from nearby water sources, beginning with Carroll Lake south of McKenzie. Then, they used a local farmer’s pond followed by Middle Fork Obion Lake #7, where they harvested most of their water. The Guardsmen then flew it to the site, releasing it directly onto the fire.
A Bambi Bucket holds appropriately 620 gallons (2,346 liters) of water, weighing roughly 5,100 pounds. For the next two and a half hours, the aircrew made fourteen trips delivering water to the blaze, dumping roughly 8,680 gallons of water on the fire in roughly two and a half hours.
After completing their last water drop, the UH-60V aircrew returned to Jackson at 10:30 p.m.
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