Helicopter "Pedro" Speeds Firefighters to Downed and Burning Aircraft (Official Department of Defense motion picture film by the U. S. Army under the direction of the MACV Office of Information. Photography by SFC Cauchi and SP5 Lucero. Sound by SP5 Lowe.) The motto of the 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron is "That Others May Live". To insure their ability to be ready whenever the alarm sounds, Detachment 4 of the squadron at Korat, Thailand carries out frequent Fire Suppression Training exercises to maintain top level proficiency. The primary tool in their firefighting arsenal is the HH43 B "Pedro" helicopter, coupled with a special foam-producing fire suppression kit. "Pedro" carries two fire-fighters in Homex suits which protect them from temperatures up to 1800 degrees. In addition, a medical technician goes along as part of the team. Once the rescue team is aboard and the engines started, the crew chief moves to the Fire Suppression Kit where he hooks it to the hovering copter and the pilot heads toward the fire area. The Fire Suppression Kit contains 78 1/2 gallons of water and five gallons of protein foam. Compressed air in the tank, when released, expands the mixture into 690 gallons of fire-suppressing foam. From the time an actual crash alert is sounded, the chopper and its crew of five can be airborne and on their way to the site of the emergency within two minutes.
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