SOTO CANO AIR BASE, HN US, Honduran forces practice personnel recovery capabilities

Airmen from Joint Task Force-Bravo 612th Air Base Squadron Fire Department practice loading a simulated crash victim onto a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during a personnel recovery exercise, March 10, 2016, near Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. This was the first participation of firefighters during JTF-Bravo’s quarterly personnel rescue practices, testing their abilities to respond to this type of mission. (U.S. Army photo by Martin Chahin/Released)

Joint Task Force Bravo
Story by Maria Pinel

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras - Service members from Joint Task Force-Bravo, in coordination with Honduran forces, participated in a personnel recovery exercise March 10, 2016, near Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, validating response capabilities and interoperability with the Hondurans.

The exercise consisted of a two-part training plan, involving Honduran familiarization with U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, as well as practices that would help develop valuable security skills during personnel recovery operations.

The scenario involved a simulated crash of a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in an isolated area, with trapped and severely injured individuals. The scenario necessitated special rescue skills and equipment to help rescue the simulated victims, requiring the firefighters with the 612th Air Base Squadron Fire Department to assist the 1-228th Aviation Regiment and Honduran forces in their initial response.

“We conduct quarterly personnel recovery exercises but had never used firefighters before, so the Fire Department tested their capability to extract personnel from a wreckage,” said Capt. James King, JTF-Bravo Personnel Recovery director. “That was the first time we’ve done that here at JTF-Bravo, so this exercise validates that they can assist with their extrication equipment.”

During the rescue and extraction of the victims, Joint Security Forces personnel helped secure the simulated crash site while Honduran forces responded in a protective role, demonstrating how the two teams would integrate in a real-life scenario.

“Building a relationship with the Honduran forces might have been the most important thing that we did,” said King. “If we had any kind of situation, other than a MEDEVAC, Hondurans would be in charge of conducting a recovery, so the fact that we partnered and trained with the Hondurans is key.”

Prior to the rescue training, the Rapid Air Mobile team , formed by the MEDEL and JSF representatives, practiced loading and disembarking the helicopters while the aircraft were off, then running and finally during live take-offs and landings. Other practices included the hoisting of heavy equipment, as well as integrating the JSF and Honduran forces.

“We validated that the RAM team concept works and we showed the importance of needing the JSF team to be able to quickly respond to the incident,” King said. “We validated that we can go out and we can transport them [Hondurans] to an incident if we needed to do that.”

One of the main goals of this Personnel Recovery Exercise is precisely to test this joint operation between the 1-228th, JSF, Medical Element and 612th, as well as host nation forces, integrating with U.S.
helicopters and conduct similar training with other partner nations.

“As we expand our missions into other parts of Central America, we are going to work with similar units and we have to make sure that we build that relationship and capability,” said King. “If we have already exercised something similar we will be much more prepared. That is the big goal, we want to take this concept and apply it to other countries in Central America.”

Exercises such as this one showcase one of many partnership efforts between countries in Central America and U.S. Southern Command, giving the countries in the region chances to learn and hone skills that have an impact on potential future operations.

Air Force Reserve’s first female firefighter began career with 910th

YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio — Then Staff Sgt. Fran Taylor with her husband Staff Sgt. John Taylor, a distinguished graduate from NCO Leadership School at what was then Grissom Air Force Base, Ind. while it was still an active duty installation. U.S. Air Force/Courtesy Photo.

Air Force Reserve’s first female firefighter began career with 910th
By Eric M. White, 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs / Published March 09, 2016

In 1975, 23-year-old Fran Taylor decided she wanted to serve her country and continue a family legacy of military service, having a father and uncle who served during World War II. Taylor visited an Air Force Reserve (AFR) recruiter here to discuss her options. After scoring very well on her Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) tests, there we few limitations on what career she could pursue. Working in radiology at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and studying mathematics at Youngstown State University might have compelled Taylor to enlist in a medical or financial field, but she told her recruiter she wanted to do something different.

As Taylor and her recruiter flipped through the book of Air Force jobs, her recruiter said, “Do you want to be a firefighter? We don’t have any female firefighters.”

“Oh, that sounds good,” Fran said.

“Really?” the recruiter replied, laughing.

Taylor’s recruiter took her down to the base fire station. They pulled out some fire hose, attached it to a fire hydrant and let Fran get a first-hand feel for what she’d be doing. The fire chief insisted that firefighting wasn’t a career she wanted to pursue.

Fran didn’t listen.

Taylor began her career at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, for Basic Military Training before heading to Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, which housed the Air Force firefighting technical school. Once there, she learned that not only were there no female firefighters in the AFR, but there never were, making her the first. She heard that the first active duty Air Force female firefighter had gone through the technical school only two months earlier.

Because women were so new to the military firefighting field, neither the infrastructure nor the culture of the school had caught up.

“There was a thousand-man dorm for the guys,” said Taylor, “but they kept me with a welder’s squadron where they had one flight of women.”

Her instructors and many of her fellow students told her she couldn’t make it, though some were supportive. She recalls going into several fires per day as some of her instructors tried to overwhelm and discourage her, whereas most of the men complained they didn’t get enough live fire training opportunities. The extra pressure motivated her, as she wanted to prove that she was just as capable as her peers and could make it through the course.

“The more (my instructor) told me I couldn’t do it, the more determined I was to do it,” said Taylor.

There were other complications. Her clothing and uniforms were designed for her male counterparts. They never fit right and needed altered. Taylor wore size five shoes but was issued size ten boots.

“I’d go up to get on the truck and the boot would stay there on the ground,” said Taylor, laughing, “But you just suck it up and move on.”

Taylor said she was in good shape going into the school, having practiced Tae Kwan Do and being an avid cycler. The physical side wasn’t too bad, but the emotional side was challenging, and she often had to bite her tongue, said Taylor.

While at Chanute, Fran met her future husband, John, who was in training to be an Active Duty Air Force firefighter. In his trademark career humor, John tells everyone that Fran swept him off his feet, alluding to the firefighter’s carry for rescuing victims. John recalls that by the time Fran graduated, about 90 percent of her male peers had become supportive, but there were still those who opposed her.

"They were out to put her out," John said. "Our instructors even told us that. She was very slight of build, very feminine, but she fooled all of us, had a tenacity you wouldn't believe.”

After technical school, Fran came to Youngstown Air Reserve Station for duty with the 910th Tactical Fighter Group, now the 910th Airlift Wing, while John went to Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

A year later, they were married, and Fran transferred to the 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell as a Reservist. Early in their relationship, Fran and John often heard the saying, “tech school romances don’t last.” They’ll celebrate their 40th anniversary in August this year.

Fran Taylor wasn’t just a trendsetter for the Air Force. While serving with the 908th as a Reservist, Fran applied for a job with the Fire Department in Montgomery, Alabama. Her test scores were high enough that she became the first paid full-time female firefighter in the state, garnering widespread media attention.

Fran didn’t work with or encounter another female firefighter for her first four years as a Reservist. She eventually went Active Duty to follow her husband to an assignment at Zweibrucken Air Base, Germany. She spent 14 years on Active Duty before switching back to the Reserve once her husband retired from the Air Force in 1994. The couple settled in the Youngstown area with their two children, and Fran continued service as a Reserve firefighter until her retirement as a master sergeant. in 2007.

Today, John and Fran both work for the 910th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department, sharing an office with desks about ten feet apart. Fran is the assistant chief of fire prevention and John is the fire inspector. Having witnessed the devastation fire can cause, Fran relishes the opportunity to help YARS personnel stay safe by regularly inspecting fire extinguishers, checking work areas for possible hazards and training personnel on fire safety and prevention. Since returning to YARS, she’s had several opportunities to work with other female firefighters as the industry normalizes what was once unheard of.

“I think it’s a great decision to go into the military,” said Fran. “It gives you so much self-confidence and self-discipline. There’s just so much opportunity out there, and really I think it would be a great career for anyone, even if you just stay in for a four year assignment.”

Although her search for something different led her to a military career that began with adversity and challenged her to overcome several obstacles, Fran says there’s nothing she’d change about her experiences.

“It’s a great thing going into any branch of the military and getting that experience,” said Fran. “It prepares you for life, because life can be tough out there. I think you’ll see that with a lot of female veterans you encounter.”

By all accounts that something different worked out pretty well for Fran Taylor.

Louisiana Guardsmen expand flood fight to southern part of state

Gov. John Bel Edwards surveys flooded areas and thanks Louisiana National Guardsmen who have been assisting local agencies around the clock in Ponchatoula, La., March 12, 2016. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Toby M. Valadie)

Louisiana Army and Air National Guard
Story by Staff Sgt. Denis Ricou

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana National Guard, as directed by Gov. John Bel Edwards, continues to assist local agencies in response to significant flooding from north to south in the state, working around the clock since March 9.

The LANG has approximately 1,340 Guardsmen responding to flood operations in at least 25 parishes, to include evacuations, search and rescue by vehicle, boat and helicopter, distribution and supply of water, security and shelter support, and distribution of sandbags.

Over the course of these operations, the LANG has utilized more than 160 high-water vehicles, 44 boats, and 3 helicopters.

The LANG has rescued more than 2,136 citizens, and 186 pets. The LANG has distributed more than 12,000 bottles of water, issued more than 582,000 sand bags with 8 sandbag-filling machines.

Louisiana’s Guardsmen are trained, ready and equipped to stand up at any moment to protect lives and property, maintain communications, and ensure the continuity of operations and government.

OSAN AIR BASE, IGI tests first responders with aircraft contingency scenario

An A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 25th Fighter Squadron takes off while an a C-130H Hercules cargo aircraft assigned to the 374th Airlift Wing from Yokota Air Base, Japan, taxis during Exercise Beverly Midnight 16-01, March 9, 2016, at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. Beverly Midnight is a readiness exercise designed to evaluate the ability of personnel to survive and operate in simulated wartime conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Steffen/ Released)

51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Story by Staff Sgt. Benjamin Sutton

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea - Throughout exercise Beverly Midnight 16-01, multiple squadrons work together to accomplish the high-intensity training in a simulated combat environment.

The logistical undertaking and review of these multi-unit evaluations is the responsibility of the inspections team members who report to the 51st Fighter Wing inspector general.

“We try to exercise as close to the real thing as possible, [we have] opposing forces and simulated players with realistic injury special effects that create a dynamic and accurate scenario,” said Tech. Sgt. Daniel Mears, 51 FW IG inspections and reports manager.

These scenarios assist wing inspection team members with identifying emergency management issues and provide evidence-based information. The information is then relayed to wing leadership for assessment and training purposes.

Inspectors evaluate the first responders on their emergency procedures to ensure they are safely able to put out any simulated fires and assist injured personnel, explained Mears.

“The ability to execute this scenario on an open airfield has drastically increased the realism of this event,” he continued.

This scenario involved a C-130H Hercules cargo aircraft assigned to the 374th Airlift Wing from Yokota Air Base, Japan, taking on small-arms fire from opposing forces upon landing. Emergency responders from the fire department, security forces and the medical group swarmed the scene to provide assistance to the simulated causalities.

“Cargo aircraft during contingencies provide the two essentials, supplies and troops,” said Tech. Sgt. Benjamin McConnell, 51 FW IG emergency management technician. “Testing our ability to recover personnel and assets is a must.”

“We really wanted to see how safe and effectively our first responders could handle a mass casualty situation like this,” he continued. “Their performance was extremely impressive.”

Beverly Midnight 16-01 provides inspectors with new and innovative ways to continue training while simultaneously instilling confidence in participants who are performing emergency management procedures.

“We have an extremely active airfield and airspace,” said Mears. “The fire department did an amazing job sorting the injured personnel for the medical teams who arrived and had all the victims evacuated very quickly. Every piece of the puzzle was demonstrated safely and the aircraft was quickly removed.”

Mears continued by explaining the importance of communication and having a sense of urgency in making the mission happen effectively.

“Communication before, during and after these scenarios is vital,” he said. “Proper coordination, having a positive attitude, and using a sense of urgency during these exercises is not only required for realism but also makes the desired learning objectives easier to accomplish. This is how we learn and improve and I am proud that this complicated scenario was effectively accomplished by Team Osan.”

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NV, US 99th CES Fire Protection Flight takes home prestigious awards

99th CES Fire Protection Flight takes home prestigious awards

99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Story by Airman 1st Class Nathanael Byrnes

NELLIS AIR FORCE, Nev. - The 99th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Protection Flight was awarded four Air Force-Level Awards on Feb. 24 at Nellis AFB, for their accomplishments during 2015.

The awards included the Air Force Large Fire Department of the Year, Fire Prevention Program of the Year, Firefighter Heroism Award and Air Force Senior Fire Officer of the Year.

The men and women of the 99th CES Fire Protection Flight are charged with keeping the Nellis and Creech AFB communities safe, protecting aircraft operations, building and wildland fire response, hazardous materials emergencies and medical response and were recognized for the work they did during 2015.

“The number one mission is to protect the aircraft mission,” said John Thompson, 99th CES fire chief. “That includes Nellis AFB with all the aircraft and Creech AFB with all the remotely piloted aircraft. Also, we are responsible for structural firefighting, hazmat response, medical response and all other hazards.” 

The Air Force Fire Department of the Year Award takes into account all aspects of the fire department; management, operations, training, fire prevention and safety. The scoring looks at emergency response, firefighter awards, customer outreach, public educations, training, innovation and initiative. 

The Nellis-Creech fire department is the third busiest fire department in the Air Force by call volume as they safely mitigated 1,600 emergencies in the 2015 calendar year. 

“On Nellis AFB there are approximately 150 planes assigned, and then you have 100 to 150 plus planes coming in for each Red Flag and other major exercises that take place at Nellis AFB,” said Thompson. “My estimate would be an extra 2,000 planes that come in that we are responsible for protecting during the 20 or so Large Force Exercises hosted by Nellis each year. We respond to anything from a standard in-flight emergency for hydraulic failure or engine malfunction to actual aircraft fires and crashes, we do it all.”

The Creech mission protection played a huge role in winning the 2015 Air Force large Fire Department of the Year award. “We provided protection of the 526 pilots at Creech and we provide fire protection for them and the airfield,” said Thompson. “Understanding the Creech mission, a lot of those pilots are flying combat missions half way around the world with remotely piloted aircraft. They flew over 209,000 hours and 12,300 combat sorties in 2015. We kept them safe while they prosecuted 22,900 enemy targets. By us being there to provide medical protection and fire protection for the building the pilot sits in is how we feel we help enable those missions to go on.”

The factors that are looked at for the Air Force Fire Prevention of the Year Award are inspections, engineering and code enforcement as well as innovation of community and public education programs. Four fire inspectors and one assistant fire chief make up the fire inspection team and they are responsible for running the largest fire prevention program in Air Combat Command. 

“Our fire prevention section trained 12,000 people at Nellis and Creech on how to use fire extinguishers,” said Thompson. “In 2015 we had 33 total fires at Nellis and Creech AFB. People we trained put out seven building fires and nine aircraft fires with fire extinguishers before firefighters even got there. That’s a testament to our fire prevention and training program. The fact that the people we trained are able to just run over and pick up a fire extinguisher and do what we taught them to do shows how successful the training program is.

“Those nine aircraft had a total value of $491.6 million. By those maintainers using the fire prevention skills they learned through the fire prevention program, they limited the damage to only about $600,000 and saved $490.90 million in the process.”

“The fire prevention section is also responsible for the creation of the military family housing fire safety training program,” said Thompson. It’s a program that requires newcomers to the base who are going to live in military family housing to take the fire prevention training and pass a test before they are issued the keys to their house. We like to think that the program has played a significant role in the fact that there hasn’t been a house fire on Nellis AFB since 2011, which is pretty impressive.”

Winning the award meant a lot to the fire department and the members of the fire prevention section.

“It’s nice to see your work come to fruition and be recognized for the hard work the team puts in,” said Rob Tello, 99th CES fire inspector.

Senior Master Sgt. Chancey Kruger, 99th CES deputy fire chief, won the Air Force Senior Fire Officer of the Year Award.

Kruger won the award for his job performance, accomplishments, technical competence, initiative and resourcefulness while on the job.

“I was beside myself when I found out that I won,” said Kruger. “I didn’t think I had won. I’m very humbled to have received this award because I feel that there are better people than I am who haven’t received this award. I had some great mentorship from retired and active duty military members and a great team effort that helped me win this award.”

The members of the 99th Fire Protection Flight had no idea that they had won these awards until Maj. Gen. Timothy S. Green, Air Force Director of Civil Engineers, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, broke the news during his visit on Feb. 24. 

“After he made those announcements the crew was pretty boisterous and there was a lot of high-fiving going around,” said Thompson. “It was a cool day to be a Nellis-Creech firefighter.” 

The success of the 99th CES Fire Protection Flight can be attributed to having a well-trained, disciplined, and motivated team that shows pride and excellence in their craft. 

“It all has to come together, said Thompson. “You have to have well trained firefighters and effective state-of-the-art equipment. The training is a huge part of the award and a huge part in everything that we do. To say that you are the best of the best and there is no fire department in the Air Force better than you at a particular moment, that’s a pretty cool feeling.

“Winning four out of eight awards is pretty cool. I’ve been around for a long time and I don’t know if that has ever happened before.”

The four Air Force Level Awards that the 99th CES Fire Protection Flight won go along with the already impressive five ACC awards they earned earlier this year. They will be competing in March for Department of Defense level awards.