Aircraft crashes outside of Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada

 A civilian fighter jet supporting the 57th Wing out of Nellis Air Force Base, crashed this morning while preparing to land there.

According to Draken International, which owns the aircraft, the pilot received only minor injuries after successfully ejecting prior to the crash. He has been released from the hospital.

Draken International is a private contractor that works with the Department of Defense. At Nellis Air Force Base, the company's planes play the role of the adversaries during training missions. "We play the bad guys," said Scott Poteet, Draken International's Director of Business Development for U.S. Air Force Programs. They fly up to 10 of these flights everyday at the base in southern Nevada.

Poteet told ABC News the pilot and sole person on board the A-4K, a two-seater plane, has more than 20 years of experience flying fighter jets in the military. The pilot had completed an exercise and was preparing to land when he ejected just before the plane crashed.

There was no distress call indicating a problem prior to the crash, according to Poteet.

Two Draken International aircraft were taking part in the preceding exercises.

The private contractor has been at Nellis Air Force Base for about 6 months and has flown thousands of flights in support of the Department of Defense in its 5 years of existence.

Nellis Air Force Base is home of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School.

Nevada Air Force Base

By JEFFREY COOK & ELIZABETH MCLAUGHLIN  Aug 18, 2016,

A plane crashed near Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vega, Nevada,

KADENA AIR BASE 18 CES firefighters conduct tower evacuation.

Firefighters from the 18th Civil Engineer Squadron exit a fire engine during a tower evacuation drill Aug. 15, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Firefighters train on a regular basis in order to maintain constant readiness for emergencies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Peter Reft)

KADENA AIR BASE, OKINAWA, JAPAN
08.19.2016
Story by Senior Airman Peter Reft
18th Wing Public Affairs

Sirens and alarms assaulted the senses inside the claustrophobic stairwell of the 13-floor tower as firefighters raced to the top, donning 60 pounds of protective gear in addition to hoses, chairs , axes, and tools. With the deep hiss of each breath from respirator masks, every laborious heave of their boots was one step closer to saving the lives of victims trapped in smoke and flames.

Kadena firefighters conducted a fire evacuation drill in the air traffic control tower as part of weekly training to constantly hone and sharpen rescue skills.

“We had an exercise inject for smoke at the top of the tower with victims inside,” said Staff Sgt. Nicholas Hayes, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department crew chief. “We had to go inside, take the stairs up there, and go check each room to find the victims.”

Fire crews carried out the dummy victims while guiding out Airmen who could walk on their own. Meanwhile, fire engines stood by with extra equipment.

“We had two engines set up,” said Hayes. “Engine 22 came for resupply operations while engine nine and the crew went inside to attack any possible fire.”

Firefighters must become familiar with every building type on base in order to better prepare themselves for emergencies, and the air traffic control tower is no exception.

“The importance of this kind of training is knowing how to enter the facility, the major floors inside this tower that we need worry about, how many personnel there are, and more importantly, how to get them out of the building safely,” said Hayes.

After the exercise, both firefighters and control tower personnel held a briefing to evaluate everybody’s performance. Airmen helped each other point out any improvements to implement in future situations.

“It’s good that we’re able to identify our mistakes during these exercises, because we’re going to learn from them and not make errors during a real emergency” said Tech. Sgt. Billy Parham, 18th CES assistant chief of training. “Every day we’re preaching the most important thing – life safety.”

Hayes felt the exercise went well, and was especially beneficial to the new Airmen.

“This was the first time for a lot of us going into the tower and actually, on the job, figuring out what to do during an emergency, [especially] if there was smoke, fire, and victims to carry,” said Hayes.

The newest member of the team, Airman First Class Omar Lopez, 18th CES firefighter, expressed how the training made him focus on making sure to stick with his crew chief and follow directions to support the team.

He continued with acknowledging the importance of staying ready for anything.

“Every day we have to study, ask our supervisors about emergency scenarios, and make sure we can be aware of different situations,” said Lopez. “We physically train as a squadron three days a week, we train while we’re on duty, and on our own.”

Kadena firefighters never stop training and maintaining constant readiness day and night, 365 days a year.

“This tower exercise was a culmination of each different aspect of training we do. Usually we’ll do aircraft and structural exercises twice a week,” said Hayes. "All the other training we do on a daily basis keeps us sharp."

Firefighters of the 18th Civil Engineer Squadron secure fire hoses during a tower evacuation drill Aug. 15, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Firefighters trained in the tower to become familiar with the facility in the event there is a need for a real-world emergency evacuation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Peter Reft)

An 18th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter performs post-exercise checklists during a tower evacuation drill Aug. 15, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The drill trained firefighters how to negotiate the air control tower for simulated smoke, fire, casualty recovery, personnel evacuation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Peter Reft)

Staff Sgt. Demarcus Oliver, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter crew chief, supports a dummy during a tower evacuation drill Aug. 15, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Training up to twice per week, firefighters ensure they remain constantly ready for possible emergencies, such as building evacuations and personnel recovery. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Peter Reft)

Staff Sgt. Demarcus Oliver, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter crew chief, carries a dummy down a stairwell during a tower evacuation drill Aug. 15, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The drill simulated smoke, fire, casualty recovery, and personnel evacuation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Peter Reft)

Yoshimi Sakurai, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, connects hoses during a tower evacuation drill Aug. 15, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The drill enabled firefighters to become familiar with fire and rescue procedures for the air traffic control tower. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Peter Reft)

AF awards replacement firefighting foam contract

AF awards replacement firefighting foam contract
By Air Force Civil Engineer Center Public Affairs, / Published August 15, 2016

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) -- The Air Force has awarded a $6.2 million contract to replace firefighting foam used in fire vehicles with an environmentally responsible foam to reduce the risk of possible contamination of soil and groundwater.

ICL Performance Products was awarded the contract Aug. 15 for 418,000 gallons of Phos-Chek 3 percent, six carbon chain aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). The Air Force expects delivery to begin in August and for all foam in fire vehicles and fire stations to be replaced by the end of 2016.

“AFFF is used by civilian and military firefighters to extinguish fires in aircraft accidents and other emergencies where jet fuel and other petroleum-based flammable materials are present,” said James Podolske Jr., the Air Force fire chief. “The Phos-Chek foam will replace the current product in use in Air Force fire vehicles.”

The Air Force is replacing the foam to reduce the potential risk of contamination from perfluorinated compounds in AFFF. These compounds, commonly called PFCs, are found in many commercial products.

The Environmental Protection Agency has classified PFCs as “contaminants of concern,” and set health advisory levels for drinking water supplies in May. Two specific compounds are the focus of regulatory interest: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).

Podolske said Phos-Chek was developed under the EPA’s PFC Stewardship Program. The foam is PFOS free, and contains little or no PFOA.

“The Air Force must continue to use AFFF in its defense operations to protect people, critical weapon systems and infrastructure, but we will do so in a more environmentally responsible way that also makes our operations safer for the public,” Podolske said.

The Air Force also recently awarded a contract to retrofit all aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles with specialized equipment that will let firefighters conduct fire vehicle operational checks and required annual foam tests without discharging any AFFF into the environment. Retrofitting the Air Force’s fleet of more than 800 vehicles will take about 15 months, Podolske said.

The Air Force has restricted AFFF use for emergencies only. When AFFF is used, Air Force hazardous materials teams will treat the response scene as a hazardous site, and remove and destroy foam residue before contamination can occur.

The Air Force is considering several courses of action to address the AFFF used in aircraft hangar fire suppression systems. Unlike mobile fire trucks, the AFFF in hangars is contained to a stationary location, which is a more stable and controlled environment, Podolske said.

Replacing the foam is part of the Air Force’s aggressive efforts to ensure PFCs are not a threat to human health and the environment, said Mark Correll, the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for environment, safety and infrastructure

Floods take a Louisiana Army National Guard truck away.

A Louisiana Army National Guard dump truck was swept away and submerged in flood waters near Walker. (MAX BECHERER/AP)

Rsidents began to return to water-ravaged homes Tuesday in Baton Rouge, La., after days of heavy rain submerged large stretches of southern Louisiana, killing 11 and prompting rescues of tens of thousands of people.

Nearly 15,000 homes across Ascension — roughly a third of the households in the parish — were flooded, said Richard Webre, director of the parish’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. About 800 parish residents were in shelters.

The Louisiana flooding is likely the worst natural disaster in the United States since Superstorm Sandy hammered the East Coast in 2012, according to the Red Cross. More than 10,600 people have sought refuge at Red Cross shelters across Louisiana, and the disaster relief organization estimates that its response efforts could cost as much as $10 million. 

Harrowing rescues were posted on social media as emergency rescue teams continued to evacuate residents Monday in East Baton Rouge, Livingston and Ascension parishes. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office shared footage taken from a helicopter Monday of rescuers saving a man from waist-high floodwater and two men clinging to a tree. The men were attempting to leave their flooded home in a residential neighborhood when they were caught in the current. A civilian in a boat rescued the man from the water, and sheriff’s deputies pulled the other two from the tree.

So far, local and state officials have reported that nine people have died as a result of flooding – four in East Baton Rouge Parish, two in St. Helena Parish, two in Tangipahoa Parish, and one in Rapides Parish. On Tuesday, Edwards said that volunteers and law enforcement officers had rescued "well over" 20,000 residents.

Edwards said emergency crews in Livingston and Ascension parishes were beginning to coordinate door-to-door search-and-rescue operations in flooded areas to check and mark homes, as well as cars that had washed off roadways.

 “It’s going to be difficult,” he said. “We have a lot of pockets of water that make it very difficult to get into those places and search those places.”

By Jenny Jarvie

2 Navy pilots eject before jet crashes in Texas

PREMONT, Texas — A Navy instructor and a student pilot ejected themselves from a T-45 Goshawk before it crashed in a South Texas field during a training flight from Naval Air Station Kingsville.

Investigators are trying to determine what caused the T-45 to crash Sunday night in a rural area near Premont, about 17 miles southwest of Kingsville.

Naval Air Station Corpus Christi spokeswoman Lt. J.G. Liz Feaster says one pilot suffered minor injuries and was still being treated Monday, while the other pilot was not injured.