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| Photo By Staff Sgt. Bobbie Reynolds | U.S. Air Force Airmen, assigned to the 140th Wing Civil Engineering Squadron, Colorado Air National Guard, and the 460th Space Wing Fire Department responded to a structure fire in Bennett, Colo., Mar. 2, 2018. Firefighters from both units collaborated with 10 other agencies in the surrounding Bennett area to contain a structural house fire, successfully avoiding a potential grass fire, loss of lives and property. (Courtesy Photo by the140th Fire Department) |
AURORA, CO, UNITED STATES
03.02.2018
Story by Staff Sgt. Bobbie Reynolds
140th Wing Public Affairs
Dan Gordon, Buckley Fire, and Emergency Services Station chief, 460th Space Wing reported 18 Colorado Air National Guardsmen, the 460th Fire Department, and 10 other agencies responded to a house fire in a dry part of the state.
Red Flag warnings were in effect in the Bennett area and, although there was no threat to life at the time of the response, there was a potential for the fire to rapidly spread due to the hot temperatures, dry conditions, and heavy winds.
“We were trying to prevent the fire from spreading to other structures close by and keep it from turning into a wildland fire event,” said Tech. Sgt. Andrew Gard, deputy fire chief of the 140th Civil Engineering Squadron. “Because of the red flag warnings in that area, they needed manpower for this particular event and manpower is what we were able to bring.”
According to dispatch, the 140th FD was on scene at 10:38 a.m to help extinguish the fire on the exterior of the building and relieve other firefighters, who had been fighting the fire for several hours before Buckley arrived on scene.
“Prior to our arrival, crews had been working tirelessly to extinguish the fire. The incident commander requested additional manpower to assist in defensive firefighting operations and to provide much-needed relief to the initial responders,” said Gard.
Fire crews attached to the 140th Wing and the 460th Space Wing helped contain the fire and was released at 1:00 p.m the same day, according to Gordon.
The interagency agreement among the departments gave the 140th and the 460th the ability to respond quickly and help the other agencies on scene. Damage was minimized and a large scale grass fire was prevented due to the outstanding teamwork and collective effort of many departments.
Gordon said one important piece to a successful mission is different agencies willing to come together for a common cause.
“We were fortunate that we had the right resources and were at the right place at the right time. We are always happy to help. It’s in our nature. It’s what we do,” said Gard.
