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| U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 297th Engineer Detachment Firefighting team, 103rd Troop Command, Hawaii Army National Guard pose for a photo in front of their response vehicle Pearl City, Hawaii, May 04, 2024. The firefighting team conducted two mission essential tasks, deploying a supply line and vehicle extrication. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Justin Nye) |
117th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (Hawaii)
By Sgt. Justin Nye, 117th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (Hawaii)
PEARL CITY, Hawaii - The Hawaii Army National Guard’s 297th Engineer Detachment Firefighting Team conducted mission essential tasks and training during their May inactive duty training here while under observation from a Fire Chief Observer, Coach, and Trainer (OCT) from Joint Base Lewis Mcchord (JBLM), Washington.
Sgt. 1st Class Kimberly Lopez, a Fire Chief OCT assigned to 3-364 Brigade Engineer Battalion, 189th Infantry Brigade, 1st Army, made her first trip to Hawaii to mentor the 297th Firefighting team’s training operation to help build training paths and provide resources.
“Coming out here is a real honor,” said Lopez. “I'm trying to help in any way I can to be an asset to them.”
Sgt. John Segawa, station chief for the 297th Engineer Detachment Firefighting Team, Hawaii Army National Guard, shared insights into the specific training.
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| (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Justin Nye) |
"We conduct firefighter training once a quarter to maintain skills and remember why we joined the National Guard," said Sagawa. “This weekend we conducted two training sessions: The forward and reverse lay, as well as simulated vehicle extrication.”
Seven firefighters participated in the weekend's training mission. The firefighter team included a plugman, two drivers, a lead firefighter, two nozzlemen and the station chief.
“The training is for lay operations which is essentially connecting the fire hydrant to the fire truck, so that ample amounts of water can be supplied to the engine,” said Segawa. “Then the truck itself transfers the pressure into the truck to put out the fire.”
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| (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. John Schoebel) |
The reverse lay scenario training was to deploy 200 feet of hose line from the hydrant to the nozzle discharge with a time of under five minutes.
“Firefighters train to respond to crashes, rescue operations, medical emergencies and stranded isolated personnel,” said Segawa. “Our primary mission as a firefighter is to protect people, property and equipment.”
Lopez explained her role as the only fire chief observer, coach and trainer in the Western Region.
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| (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Justin Nye) |
“I want to help create more training exercises and get them focused on what's going on to help get them where they need to be and provide more resources,” said Lopez. “In the firefighting world, certifications are hard to come by, especially being remotely located, so I'm just trying to help be a better asset.”
At the conclusion of the training, Lopez was impressed with the quality of training completed throughout the weekend.
“I think it’s great to see them coming together to share their wealth of knowledge, growing and coming up with their own training plans,” said Lopez. “To see that, especially in my line of work, it gives me this warm and fuzzy feeling because that's what you want to see.”
