A fleet of Montana National Guard helicopters is undergoing its firefighting makeover in Helena, an annual event signaled by the creep of smoke into the sky and a weeklong forecast filled with lighting.

The fleet's annual alteration includes a paint job from Army green to new markings in Forest Service orange. A list of service checks also clear the aircraft to carry several hundred gallons of water and a firefighting crew.

"We know it's one of our state missions," said CW5 Jerry Sept, the aviation safety officer for the Montana National Guard. "We try to get all our pilots bucket refreshed in the UH-60 (Blackhawk) and CH-47 (Chinook)."

By the end of last July, one tribal agency and 12 Montana counties had declared a state of fire emergency, including Lewis and Clark, Flathead and Missoula.

At that time, the Guard had three Blackhawk modules outfitted for firefighting duties based in Helena, Missoula and Kalispell. An additional Chinook was in service on the Ahorn and Meriwether fires north of Helena.

Also, the Guard had three 26-member security teams on the ground fighting the Meriwether, the Mile Marker 124, and the Sawmill fires.

"We had modules all over the state last year," said Lt. Col. Garth Scott, public relations officer for the Montana Guard. "We were very busy working with DNRC (the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation)."

Scott noted the smoke in the sky early Monday, which continued into Tuesday. The Cactus fire, burning near Whitehall, was the only large Montana fire noted by the Northern Rockies Coordination Center on Monday.

Yet on Tuesday, an 80-acre fire had sparked near Condon and another grass fire quickly erupted near Helena, putting firefighters -- and the Guard -- on alert.

By Monday, the Helena Interagency Dispatch Center had logged 26 fires that burned 97 acres. Of those, 15 were human caused and 11 were started by lightning.

"We're ready," Scott said. "We're postured for the fire season."

Today's forecast is a dire one with a 50 percent chance of rain and lightning. A 20 percent chance of lighting remains in the forecast throughout the week, with temperatures in the mid- to upper-80s.

"When you're flying in the mountains, it can get a little tense once in a while," Sept said. "You're in the turbulence. You're in the smoke. But the Chinook handles it very well."

The Blackhawk can carry 660 gallons of water while the Chinook can haul 2,000 gallons. The Blackhawk is generally used for initial attack while the Chinook is deployed for larger fires, Sept said.

Both helicopters require a nine-person team for support. A team includes two pilots, one or two crew members, a mechanic, a tech inspector, an operations leader and two fuelers.

"We can't just take a helicopter, see a fire and launch on it," Sept said. "It's a fairly big module going out. It's not as simple as putting pilots in and flying off."

To serve as the pilot in command at a fire, an aviator with the Guard must have a minimum of 1,500 flight hours. The co-pilot isn't required to have so many hours.

"The only restriction is, when we're hauling Forest Service personnel or dropping water, the 1,500-hour pilot has to be on the controls," Sept said. "It takes a little while to build that time up."

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com