Source: United States Army
TOWER BARRACKS, Germany – U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria firefighters, 7th Army Training Command, Bundesforst Bayern, Bundeswehr, and the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade from USAG Ansbach came together for a Wildland Fire Exercise at the Grafenwoehr Training Area March 24, 2026.
The exercise focused on extinguishing wildland fires with aerial support, ensuring readiness and improving coordination among the various agencies involved.
Due to extreme dryness during the summer months, small fires occur annually in the Grafenwoehr Training Area. These fires are typically extinguished quickly and efficiently by the local fire department. Nevertheless, larger fires that exceed the fire department’s capacity would require aerial support, making this training critical for preparedness.
This training has been held annually sincetheIntegratedWildland Fire Management Program wasestablishedin 2021. It ensures that all parties are prepared to respond effectively to wildland fires, protecting both the training area and the surrounding community.
“We are conducting wildfire aerial bucket training in order to work integration between the Grafenwoehr Training Area and 12th CAB, to be able to better fight fires on the ranges here,” said wildland fire program manager Maj. Robert Stettler, 7th ATC. “If it gets too large, it can threaten the infrastructure, we have the potential of losing targetry, losing ranges.”
The exercise emphasized the importance of rapid response and integration to mitigate fires before they become a threat to infrastructure, ranges or the surrounding community.
The ranges at Grafenwoehr are vital for training across Europe, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. Protecting these ranges from fire damage ensures their continued availability for military readiness.
“We can put fires out before they become a problem–that’s going to keep us all safe, whether it’s through smoke issues, the actual fire itself threatening Grafenwoehr, the town, Tower Barracks, Rose Barracks,” Stettler said. “The more integrated we are, the quicker we can do that, and the less risk to the greater community.”
The training was conducted in two parts:During the week prior, all parties involved reviewed procedures and protocols during a tabletop exercise. On March 24, during the practical part, controlled fires were set by the fire department within the training area and extinguished using helicopters equipped with water buckets.
The trainingusedthe CH-47 Chinook, the Army’s only heavy-lift helicopter, equipped with a Bambi Max Bucket capable of holding close to 12,000 pounds of water.
The helicopters dipped their buckets into designated water sources. In this case water was extracted from theSchlatterweiherwithin the training area. These dip zones are carefully planned to ensure safety and efficiency during operations.
The exercise highlighted the importance of coordination among the U.S. Army, Germanarmedforces, and the Federal Forest Service.
“Cooperation must function reliably, especially in an emergency,” said Alexander Richter, USAG Bavaria assistant fire chief (operations). “To ensure this, responsibilities must be defined, and procedures and tactics must be discussed and practiced….Through these exercises, solutions are developed collaboratively that can be implemented in an emergency.”
The training also tackled challenges such as language barriers and complex coordination processes.
“Communication is a huge topic,” said Marvin Leistner, liaison for the Bundesforst. “Of course, there’s the language issue, but the coordination processes are very complex. We are not pilots, and the pilots are not firefighters, so we have to practice ensuring everything works well together.”
Pilots and crew members also gained certification during the exercise to perform water bucket drops.
“With us today, we have six pilots, and we have five non-crew members, the flight engineers and the crew chiefs,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Riedel, pilot in command of the water drop exercise. “The qualification is water bucket operations. The challenge [is] carrying the 12,000 pounds of water approximately 30 feet below the helicopter and just getting used to how the bucket of water will fly as well as how to employ that water against the fire with the various conditions, altitudes, and speeds. Then after this qualification, we can send them out as the crew without an instructor to fight fires.”
By bringing together multiple agencies, certifying crews, and practicing real-life scenarios, the wild land fire exercise strengthens readiness, enhances safety, and fosters collaboration across U.S. and German organizations.