The East Jemez Interagency Fire Center at TA-49 just three miles east of the Bandelier National Monument entrance on State Route 4 hosted three National Guard Black Hawk UH-60 helicopters and their crews Wednesday and Thursday. The Los Alamos Reporter visited the Fire Center Thursday along with several photographers, videographers and communication folks from Los Alamos National Laboratory and watched the Black Hawks in action.
The group was accompanied by LANL Wildland Fire Management Officer Richard Nieto who has been in the wildland fire management business for more than 35 years, including 21 years with the U.S. Forest Service. Nieto explained that the Fire Center houses personnel from the Santa Fe National Forest, the National Park Service and some LANL employees. It is also home to the SFNF Helitack Crew and a helicopter crew contracted by SFNF from around mid-April to July.
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