144th Fighter Wing Showcases State Mission Published Nov. 6, 2011 By Staff Sgt. Christian Jadot 144th Fighter Wing Public Affairs California Air National Guard Base Fresno -- The Federal mission of the military is well known, the state mission of the Air National Guard is less familiar. On Nov. 5 2011, the California Air National Guard's 144th Fighter Wing demonstrated some of their capabilities that support the state of California. "Most folks are familiar with our federal mission, we deploy our people all over the world," said Col. Sami Said, Commander of the 144th Fighter Wing. "In addition to the federal mission we have state mission." The 144th Fighter Wing's Fire Department demonstrated a training scenario to the local media. In the scenario the fire department simulated a burning building and a victim rescue. "What we bring to the fight is we have fire equipment, and 40 plus highly trained personnel," said Senior Master Sgt. Derek Tisinger, 144th Fighter Wing Fire Chief. "We have full time firefighters here and we often partner with the city of Fresno, Clovis and the airport." Firefighting is just one of the aspects of the state mission for the 144th Fighter Wing. "Our security forces are activated in times of state emergencies, both manmade or natural," Col. Said stated. "Then there are things like urban search and rescue, where we are able to provide backup personnel to the local authorities. Additionally, we have engineers, medics and pilots who are able to provide numerous capabilities, which are all at our Governor's disposal. "