NOVO SELO, BULGARIA
06.05.2019
Photo by Spc. Samantha Hall
126th Public Affairs Operations Center
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Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. Christopher Ruether, a firefighter with the 1442nd Firefighting Team, demonstrates the first procedures for an emergency response June 6, 2019 at Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria. This included donning bunker gear, or a structural firefighting suit, designed to protect firefighters from the intense heat and smoke they may encounter. This suit and their full range of life-preserving equipment weighs up to 45 pounds when donned.
(Michigan Army National Guard photo by Spc. Samantha Hall)
Fire engines assigned to the Michigan Army National Guard 1442nd Firefighting Team stand ready June 6, 2019 at Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria. The 1439th, 1440th and 1442nd Firefighting Teams, deployed from Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan, are on rotation between NSTA and Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, until October 2019 in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel out of Afghanistan. “We are the bases’ fire department,” said Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. Christopher Ruether, a firefighter with the 1442nd Firefighting Team.
Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. Scott Clark, a firefighter with the 1442nd Firefighting Team and deputy with the Kalkaska Sheriff’s Department, explains how modified chainsaws can be used to cut through the roof of a burning building without causing it to collapse June 6, 2019 at Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria. Thankfully, this equipment hasn’t been needed as of yet during their rotation at NSTA. “Sometimes there are faults on alarms, or people smoking indoors,” Ruether said. "They’re all DOD-compliant buildings, which cuts your fire-load down.” STRIKE BACK 19 is a multinational exercise hosted by the Bulgarian Armed Forces at Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, from June 6-20, 2019. STRIKE BACK 19 is designed to increase capabilities and interoperabilities with Bulgarian, Albanian, Greek, North Macedonian and U.S. Troops.
Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. Scott Clark, a firefighter with the 1442nd Firefighting Team and deputy with the Kalkaska Sheriff’s Department, demonstrates the full range of equipment used to saw, cleave and cut their way into structures to save whoever is trapped within. The engine’s broad range of equipment is a means of maintaining readiness for any situation they may encounter on the training area. STRIKE BACK 19 is a multinational exercise hosted by the Bulgarian Armed Forces at Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, from June 6-20, 2019. STRIKE BACK 19 is designed to increase capabilities and interoperabilities with Bulgarian, Albanian, Greek, North Macedonian and U.S. Troops.
