WA National Guard helping fight Little Giant Fire

The briefing

More than 100 Washington National Guard members were mobilized to support the Little Giant Fire, working as hand crews alongside DNR after Gov. Bob Ferguson approved the request on July 31. Guard members complete 40 hours of online coursework and a field day with DNR to earn a Red Card certification, then dig containment lines, wrap structures and address hotspots. The Guard's aviation facility at Pangborn, relocated from Spokane in 2024, opened a hangar to handle the influx and has dropped more than 1.6 million gallons of water this season.