There's a fire; now what? Petroleum supply students learn to fight fuel fires

A team of students from Uniform Company, 262nd Quartermaster Battalion, guided by an instructor, use a twin agent unit to put out a controlled fire during training April 28 at the QM School’s Spc. Win’e Fire Suppression Training Facility. During the training, which occurs in week nine of an 11-week Petroleum Supply Specialist Course, students become familiar with equipment and materials used to suppress petroleum fires.

U.S. Army Garrison Fort Lee
Story by Terrance Bell

FORT LEE, Va. (May 5, 2016) -- Much of what students learn during the Petroleum Supply Specialist Course involves the receipt, issuance and storage of petroleum products.

In the conduct of those duties, personnel must protect against the ever-present threat of fire. That’s why training at the Quartermaster School’s Spc. Win’e Fire Suppression Training Facility is essential. Students not only learn emergency procedures but get valuable hands-on experience that can’t be replicated in a classroom, said Staff Sgt. Melvin Johnson, an instructor team chief.

“You can explain this on PowerPoint all day, but that goes right over their heads as opposed to coming out here and actually using the equipment, knowing the importance of having battle buddies, learning safety procedures and feeling the hose pressure,” he said after an April 28 training session.

During the two-hour familiarization, each student donned protective gear and was allowed a few minutes to man the lead position of a firefighter team tasked with suppressing a controlled fire.

Roughly 50 Soldiers from Victor and Uniform companies, 262nd QM Battalion, underwent the training that occurs during the ninth of an 11-week course.

AF Reserve, ANG Airmen prepare for 2016 wildland fire season with annual ‘MAFFS’ certification week

Assistant Air Base Fueler from The Santa Maria Air Tanker Base Elena Rios with U.S. Forest Service monitors water being pumped into a MAFFS unit on a C-130 airtanker during training at the 146th Airlift Wing in Port Hueneme, California on May 4, 2016. Air National Guard and Reserve units from across the U.S. convened for MAFFS (Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems)annual certification and training this week to prepare for the upcoming fire season in support of U.S. Forest Service. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Senior Airman Madeleine Richards/Released)

146 Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard
Story by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Carzis

CHANNEL ISLANDS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Calif. – More than 400 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airmen from across the country gathered May 2-6 to be certified on the military’s Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, known as MAFFS, in preparation for the 2016 wildland fire season.

Airmen from four ANG wings, together with the AF Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing, took part in classroom-based briefings and training as well as C-130 flying operations. Military flight instructors trained alongside U.S. Forest Service aircrew flying in mountainous terrain over simulated fire lines, while groundcrew members honed their skills servicing the aircraft and reloading the MAFFS units at the tanker base located at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station in Port Hueneme, California. Military and civilian agencies synchronize and coordinate during this training in order to ensure fluid processes during firefighting operations.

Col. Scott Sanders, MAFFS Air Expeditionary Group commander, said the training had gone well for aircrews this year.

“MAFFS is an inter-agency partnership. We train as we fight-together. It is far and away one of our most satisfying missions,” said Sanders, who is assigned to the 153rd AW, Wyoming ANG. “One of the reasons we enjoy flying it is to see the immediate results of our efforts."

Throughout certification week, 80 C-130 aircrews will have flown approximately 200 training sorties, performing targeted water drops in the mountains of Southern California’s Angeles National Forest. Once flying operations end, it's estimated that 1.5 million gallons of water will have been dropped.
Kim Christensen, National Interagency Fire Center deputy assistant director of operations for fire and aviation management, said the wildland fire potential for 2016 was “normal, significant.”

“The 2016 fire season prediction for the country has been pegged at a normal, significant fire potential,” Christensen said. “There are two areas that are pointing to above average fire potential out West, including the Great Basin in Nevada and areas throughout Southern California.”

In previous years, requests for MAFFS support has increased. The average fire season, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, has increased by 64 to 72 days.

During an activation to support wildland fire suppression, MAFFS units can drop up to 3,000 gallons of retardant per run on wildfires. Retardant is dropped ahead of a fire in an effort to slow its spread, giving ground crews a critical edge in gaining the upper hand on the blaze. The retardant’s bright red color also helps aircrews determine the accuracy of their drops.

MAFFS is a partnership between federal land management agencies and the Air Force to provide supplemental air tankers to assist in fire suppression efforts nationwide during times of high fire activity. The system itself is a portable fire retardant delivery system that can be easily inserted into the C-130 Hercules, converting the vessel into an air tanker when civilian fleets have been fully committed.

The Air Force's MAFFS aerial firefighting fleet is supported by the AF Reserve's 302nd AW, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado., and the ANG's 153rd AW, located in Cheyenne, Wyoming.; the 146th AW, based at Channel Islands, California.; and the 145th AW in Charlotte, North Carolina. Recently, the National Guard Bureau selected the 152nd Airlift Wing with the Nevada ANG in Reno to replace the 145th AW as the North Carolina-based unit begins its transition to the C-17 Globemaster III.

AZ Guard partners with Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council

Camp Navajo Firefighters Tyler Carson (left) and Capt. Christian Davis carry Arizona Army National Guard Sgt. Austin Marshall with a simulated an amputation injury, during a training exercise April 22, at Camp Navajo in Bellemont, Arizona. The exercise coordinated by the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council, simulated a crashed AZARNG Black Hawk helicopter resulting in mass casualties and a wildland fire. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Brian A. Barbour)

123rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Story by Staff Sgt. Brian Barbour

BELLEMONT, Ariz. - Smoke rose from an open field of dry grass where Soldiers laid bloodied, burned and scattered, moaning in pain as first responders arrived at the site of a crashed Black Hawk helicopter.

Firefighters arrived, assessed the scene and moved into action working to rescue the surviving Arizona Army National Guard Soldiers.

The exercise, which simulated a crashed Arizona Guard Black Hawk helicopter resulting in mass causalities and a wildfire, involved participants from Coconino County Response Team, AZARNG 198th Regional Support Group, Camp Navajo Fire Department, Bellemont Fire Department, Guardian Ambulance and Air and the Forestry Service.

This helicopter crash was an emergency response exercise hosted by the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council who partnered with the AZARNG for the training April 22, at Camp Navajo.

The exercise was designed to increase the readiness and interoperability of local emergency responders and National Guard personnel throughout Coconino County.

“We operate on a philosophy in Northern Arizona that no single agency out here possess the resources to respond to a large incident on their own,” said Robert Rowley, emergency manager with Coconino County, Arizona Emergency Management.

Firefighters from Camp Navajo Fire Department hosed down the simulated helicopter wreckage and moved the injured Soldiers to a casualty collection point as medical transport vehicles traveled to the site.

Guardsmen setup a tactical operations center, or TOC, in the 1404th Transportation Company’s armory on Camp Navajo where Soldiers worked on laptops and communicated via radios in front of a large projection screen.

Detailed coordination is required for personnel, facilities and supplies during a large-scale, multi-agency event or exercise such as the one held on Camp Navajo.

The exercise scenario planned for the 198th to drill on Camp Navajo during the crash and called into action because of their proximity to the incident, said Master Sgt. James Borchardt, who served as non-commissioned officer in charge of personnel for the exercise.

Borchardt said the 198th Soldiers gained valuable experience and learned from the scenario, which had large amounts of information come in rapidly.

One of the 198th’s tasks was to create an area for the emergency personnel responding to stage prior to heading to crash site.

“We organized the front end, so there wasn’t chaos going to the chaos,” Borchardt said.

Along with organizing staging areas, the 198th also assisted with installation and site access, said Maj. Chad Abts, support operations officer for the 198th RSG.

More than 200 participants including 41 Guardsmen participated in the exercise at Camp Navajo.

“It’s been a great opportunity to actually get out, and work with civil authorities and enhance our relationships with them,” Abts said.

Guardsmen with simulated injuries, made more realistic with latex props and fake blood, were treated on site before paramedics and EMTs loaded the Soldiers into ambulances for transport to a medical facility.

The exercise proved that the National Guard is a valuable resource in the event of an emergency that can be tasked with a mission and complete it, Abts said.

Rowely said he thinks the role of the National Guard as a player in emergency response is probably something that is going to occur more often.

“As a result let’s not be strangers, this is what this type of exercise is for,” Rowely said. “To make sure we aren’t exchanging those business cards on our first big incident.”

Texas Guardsmen rescue 140 in Houston floods

Texas Guardsmen from the 736th Component Repair Company, 36th Sustainment Brigade, 36th Infantry Division work alongside local and state emergency responders to rescue Texans in need from severe flooding in Houston, Texas, April 19, 2016. Texas Guardsmen, working with Harris County emergency response units and Texas Task Force 1, rescued 140 people in five hours. (U.S. Army National Guard photo courtesy of 736th Component Repair Company, 36th Sustainment Brigade/Released)

Texas Military Department
Story by Capt. Martha Nigrelle

HOUSTON – Texas Guardsmen from the 736th Component Repair Company, 36th Infantry Division, pulled 140 people to safety from severe flooding in Houston, April 19, 2016.

Working alongside Harris County Police officers, firefighters, Sheriff’s Office and Texas Task Force 1, guardsmen worked through the night to help Texans in need.

After linking up with partner emergency responders at the Harris County Fireman Training Center in Humble, the soldiers split up to provide assistance to severely flooded neighborhoods, sending half of their trucks to Ponderosa, a neighborhood located on the north side of Houston.

“We went into the water for about an hour and a half and came out with about 20 people,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Hoover, 736th Component Repair Company. “One of our other trucks stayed in the water until after 9 p.m. and pulled out 90 people.”

Each truck went out with officers from the Sheriff’s Office or the local police department and some also went with boat rescue squads from Texas Task Force 1.

“Our trucks can only go into 40 inches of water,” said Hoover, explaining that some of their trucks went out worked with rescue boats. “Task Force 1 boats would go ahead of us in their boats and bring them back to the truck, then we would bring them to dry land.”

The Emergency Medical Technicians, working with 9-1-1 dispatch, received addresses of distressed citizens, and passed the addresses on to guardsmen and firefighters so they could respond.

“As we would go to the address, we would pick up others who needed help,” said Sgt. Allan Abel, 736th Component Repair Company. “We were supposed to stop at dark, but we got four priority calls just after dark and that took us a while because we kept filling up with people.”

Deep waters made military land navigation training important in their ability to help those in need.

“In some places we had to go light pole to light pole; there were essentially no markers,” said Abel. “Our training in hasty navigation and terrain association was hugely beneficial – that’s what we were doing.”

Texas National Guard high profile military vehicles were essential in rescue operations, said Chief Bob Royall, Assistant Chief of Joint Emergency Operations, Harris County Fire Marshall’s Office. The majority of first responder vehicles are unable to maneuver through such deep waters and many rescue boats are limited to holding about six people, said Royall.

According to Abel, the military trucks were able to safely seat up to 25 people, in addition to the necessary soldiers and emergency first responders that accompanied each mission.

“Many Harris County residents underestimated the dangers of rising flood waters; they lost all power and were cut off from society. Simple things like going to the doctor became very dangerous,” said Royall. “Had it not been for the National Guard’s high water vehicles, we would not have been able to get to many of these folks. There are untold hundreds, possibly thousands, we would not have been able to get to.”

Members of the community also worked to support rescue efforts.

“We went to Tin Roof Barbecue in Humble with Task Force 1 for lunch, about 60 people, and the owner refused to let us pay,” said Hoover. “There are a lot of civilians out here doing really outstanding stuff, supporting the guard, the task force and the police. They make our work a lot easier.”

Throughout Harris County, and the state, people worked together to help those in need.

“I’ve always felt the need to serve,” said Abel. “This is my main driver, to be able to do things like this for my fellow Texans.”

To date, Texas Guardsmen have helped rescue 221 people and 41 pets from severe flooding in southeast Texas.

Airmen honored for rescuing 3 after helo crash

Maj. Matthew Arnold, right, the 336th Training Group chief of standards and evaluations, receives the Airman’s Medal during a ceremony April 8, 2016, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. In 2013, Arnold and Tech. Sgt. Dean Criswell, the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron NCO in charge of rescue operations, were participating in a routine training exercise in Okinawa, Japan, when an HH-60G Pave Hawk went down. They helped save three of the four Airmen on the helicopter. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell)

Tech. Sgt. Dean Criswell, right, the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron NCO in charge of rescue operations, receives the Airman’s medal during a ceremony April 8, 2016, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. Criswell and Maj. Matthew Arnold, the 336th Training Group chief of standards and evaluations, put their lives in danger to save the lives of three Airmen on a HH-60G Pave Hawk that crashed during training. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell)

By Airman 1st Class Sean Campbell,
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs / Published April 12, 2016

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFNS) -- Two Airmen were given the Airman's Medal during a ceremony at Fairchild Air Force Base on April 8 for rescuing three Airmen injured in a 2013 helicopter crash.

Maj. Matthew Arnold, the 336th Training Group chief of standards and evaluations, and Tech. Sgt. Dean Criswell, the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron NCO in charge of rescue operations, were participating in a routine training exercise in Okinawa, Japan, when an HH-60G Pave Hawk went down.

Both descended from the helicopter they were in to the flaming crash site. The fire had spread quickly, causing live rounds of ammunition to shoot off in all directions. The two managed to navigate the harsh surroundings to find their fellow Airmen.

"Everyone's skills came together when it really mattered, including the pilot and the flight engineers; we all worked seamlessly together," Arnold said.

When they arrived on scene, Criswell performed a perimeter search for members of the crew. After the first member was found, Arnold recovered him and began to treat the crew member's wounds. Criswell continued to search for the other crew members and found two pilots who were both injured; one was unable to walk, requiring Criswell's assistance to move. Criswell escorted both men to a hovering helicopter. Once in the helicopter, Criswell administered medical aid.

"We happened to be the ones put on the ground closest to the danger,” Criswell said, “but there are many unsung heroes to include many of the agencies we work with, the firefighters, the pilots, maintainers; anything we needed for the rescue was there.”

Arnold returned to the area twice, helping the two pilots and filling the overhead command and control role while looking for the final crew member, Tech. Sgt. Mark Smith, who did not survive the crash.

"Mark Smith was a good friend whose loss was greatly felt. Every time we look at this medal we will think of him," Arnold said. "It is bittersweet because we saved three but lost one."

The Airman's Medal is the highest award that an Airman can receive for heroic acts in a non-combat situation.