– Governor Greg Gianforte today issued an executive order to mobilize members of the Montana National Guard to support fire response efforts in the state of Washington. “As the state of Washington and the City of Spokane face unprecedented wildfires, Montana is joining the nearly two dozen states sending resources to support fire response efforts,” Gov. According to Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, resources from over 20 states and 100 jurisdictions are aiding the effort to fight the Spokane fires. The initial Montana National Guard support package is scheduled to depart for Washington on August 11 and includes one Montana Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook Heavy-lift helicopter, its crew, and one maintainer to total five Soldiers. The request for support from the Montana National Guard was sent through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) through which Montana can provide mutual assistance to member states in order to respond to disasters.