One CH-47 Chinook and one UH-60 Black Hawk with crews from the Nevada Army National Guard flew to California last week to help battle fires with their water-bucket drop capabilities. In this file photo, a Black Hawk helicopter was practicing water bucket drops at Stampede Reservoir.
The Nevada Army National Guard conducted a grand opening and tour of the Field Maintenance Shop at the Harry Reid Training Center on Thursday.
The new Field Maintenance Shop is located on seven acres adjacent to the existing Field Maintenance Shop that was built in 1994. The new $8 million, 13,563-square foot building features three pull-through maintenance bays that can accommodate six vehicles. The facility will support field and sustainment maintenance operations for 17 Northern Nevada Army Guard units within a 300-mile radius.
The new shop will allow the Nevada Army Guard to maintain its equipment to the highest possible operational state of readiness to support training, natural disaster relief and/or combat operations for the 889 Soldiers and 460 pieces of equipment fielded by the Army Guard units in Elko, Carlin, Winnemucca, Fallon and Reno.
The new facility has received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s Silver environmental performance certification. It received its high rating by incorporating an energy-efficient geothermal loop heat exchanger and photo voltaic system among other various “green” technological advances designed to lower energy consumption and operational costs.