IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE: NEBRASKA AIR, ARMY GUARD TRAINS TO FIGHT WILD FIRES

The Nebraska Forest Service, from Chadron, Nebraska, trained approximately 20 Nebraska Air and Army National Guard fire fighters, during a four-day course at the Nebraska Air National Guard base, in Lincoln, to learn and become qualified to use the basic skills of fighting wild fires. The joint service class created a 20-person hand-crew to respond to wild fires in Nebraska and adjoining states in the region. The course is taught nationally to every firefighter, whether civilian, volunteer, or military.

LINCOLN, NE, UNITED STATES
09.10.2016
Story by Staff Sgt. Mary Thach
155th Air Refueling Wing, Nebraska Air National Guard

Several instructors from the Nebraska Forest Service traveled to the Nebraska National Guard air base in Lincoln, Nebraska, Sept. 9-12, to train approximately 20 firefighters from the Nebraska Army and Air National Guard, to respond to wildfires throughout the state and the plains region.
The four-day course, which is given nationally to all firefighters, allows the Guardsmen to become Red Card certified, which allows them the ability to fight wildfires on state or federally owned property. All Nebraska Air National Guard firefighters are required to be Red Card certified.
Seth Peterson, a fire management specialist for the Nebraska Forest Service and instructor, travels across the state annually to certify firefighters on the basics of fighting wildfires.
Peterson said this course is provided coast-to-coast using identical curriculum to ensure each person is using the same terminology, can implement and perform the proper procedures, use the same tools, and don protective equipment in wildfire situations. The training is exactly the same whether the personnel being trained are volunteers, civilian “hot-shots” who travel the country fighting fires, full-time local fire and rescue, or military department firefighters.
Along with three days of classroom instruction, the firefighters are given a full day of hands on training to familiarize themselves with concepts learned in the classroom, and to get experience using the tools and equipment introduced during the course.
“We are here because [the Nebraska National Guard] is looking at creating a 20-man hand crew to respond to wildfires throughout Nebraska and adjoining states that surround us,” said Peterson. “In order to be qualified to go on fires you need to take the beginner firefighter classes.”
“Other states have been sharing [resources for fighting fires] with Nebraska for a long time because we did not have a wild fire infrastructure,” added Peterson. “Now that we are part of the [Great Planes Inter Agency] Compact, we need to share our resources when [adjoining states] need it. When a fire happens in Nebraska they are going to want to help us.”

The Nebraska Forest Service, from Chadron, Nebraska, trained approximately 20 Nebraska Air and Army National Guard fire fighters, during a four-day course at the Nebraska Air National Guard base, in Lincoln, to learn and become qualified to use the basic skills of fighting wild fires. The joint service class created a 20-person hand-crew to respond to wild fires in Nebraska and adjoining states in the region. The course is taught nationally to every firefighter, whether civilian, volunteer, or military.

The Nebraska Forest Service, from Chadron, Nebraska, trained aproximatley 20 Nebraska Air and Army National Guard fire fighters, during a four-day course at the Nebraska Air National Guard base, in Lincoln, to learn and become qualified to use the basic skills of fighting wild fires. The joint service class created a 20-person hand-crew to respond to wild fires in Nebraska and adjoining states in the region. The course is taught nationally to every firefighter, whether civilian, volunteer, or military.

National Guard's High Rollers complete first firefighter mission activation

 

The first 152nd C-130 equipped with U.S. Forest Service's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System arrived Sept. 8, 2016, at the Nevada Air National Guard Base in Reno. U.S. Air Force Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Emerson Marcus

 By Tech. Sgt. Emerson Marcus/Joint Force Headquarters Public Affairs |

Posted: Fri 8:11 PM, Sep 09, 2016

 

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - The 152nd Airlift Wing completed its first activation operating the U.S. Forest Service's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System last week and the first of the unit's C-130s equipped with the system arrived at the base Thursday.
During the last month, 12 aircrew of the 152nd activated as part of the Air Expeditionary Group fighting wildland fires in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon.
The AEG - made up of military C-130 units operating MAFFS - flew 142 sorties, 125.5 flight hours, dispensing more than 3.5 million pounds of retardant on 165 drops during the month long activation that began in early August.
The AEG includes three National Guard units - the 146th Airlift Wing, of California; the 153rd Airlift Wing, of Wyoming; the 145th Airlift Wing, of North Carolina - and one Air Force Reserve unit, the 302nd Airlift Wing, of Colorado Springs. As part of its new mission to replace the 145th as the fourth MAFFS unit, the 152nd, known as the "High Rollers," augmented with the 153rd and the 302nd this fire fighting season to gain experience and meet certification.

"Nevada crews have fully embraced the MAFFS mission and are committed to getting full up as quickly and safely as possible," said Col. David Herder, deputy AEG commander. "They have been stepping in to get training with the other units whenever possible. They have been a welcome addition to the MAFFS community."
This fire season effectively started the 152nd's co-pilot certification clock. Co-pilot certification could be completed prior to the 2018 fire season when the unit would enter certification as aircrew commanders. Once the aircrew commander certification is complete, they then begin certification as flight instructors and could begin autonomous fire fighting missions.
"The actual drops have been challenging and exhilarating," said Lt. Col. Tony Machabee, acting 152nd Operations Group commander and the first member of the unit to co-pilot a MAFFS mission. "It's a great feeling to see your immediate results whether we are dropping a protective line of retardant between the fire and someone's property or dropping 'mud' (retardant mix) directly on flames leaping from the tops of trees in an effort to slow the fire's progress."
Since 1974, MAFFS - a fire retardant delivery system inserted into C-130 aircraft - has been a joint effort between the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Defense.
The U.S. Forest Service owns MAFFS equipment and supplies ground crew and retardant for fire fighting. The Department of Defense provides C-130 aircraft, flight crews and maintenance and support personnel to fly missions.
The equipment can discharge up to 3,000 gallons - 28,000 pounds - of retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long and 60-feet wide. Once discharged, it can be refilled and airborne in less than 12 minutes.
The National Guard Bureau announced in April that the 152nd would receive the MAFFS mission for wildland fire fighting nationwide.
A planned conversion of the 145th Airlift Wing from the C-130 to the C-17 aircraft prompted the bureau to evaluate existing C-130 Air National Guard units for a suitable replacement for the mission. All National Guard C-130 units were considered, the bureau said in April.
The development of the MAFFS mission in Reno brings large-scale wildland fire fighting capabilities to a Guard unit located in the largest national forest in the lower 48 states - the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest - prone to massive fires in recent years.
"This is a high performing unit," said Col. Karl Stark, 152nd Airlift Wing commander. "Over the years, the competitive nature of our business in the military has forced us to look deep into our own organization to make sure that we are being as efficient as we can, and that we are making the most out of the resources that we are given. I think, ultimately, because we've taken that charge the result of that has brought more opportunities our way for the High Rollers

Minot AFB Aircraft Burn Training

MINOT AFB, ND, UNITED STATES
09.01.2016
Video by Airman 1st Class Izabella Sullivan
5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

Team Minot firefighters recently participated in their annual aircraft burn,
testing their ability to respond to an aircraft fire.

A1C Uceta: Typically what we do is we have two crews we have the reg team
which stays outside. And the fire attack crew which goes inside the aircraft
itself. When we're going inside we're focused on everything from the fog
pattern or the stream pattern. Making sure you're attacking everything
you're supposed to attack. One important key is to make sure the hose itself
isn't kinked up and doing what it's supposed to do and that's actually being
held apart by the crew itself. So communication is key.

Aircraft burns are one of the many types of training Minot firefighters are
required to complete. Their training is necessary to ensure readiness for
everything from brush fires to burning rocket fuel and hazardous material
fires. Reporting from Minot Air Force Base I'm A-1-C Izabella Sullivan.

Hurricane Hermine activates a specialized team of emergency military and civilian responders to Florida’s West Coast

Members of the Florida National Guard perform a reconnaissance mission in Steinhatchee, Fla., support of Hermine, which was a category one hurricane when it made landfall early Friday. Hermine was the first hurricane to impact the state since 2005.

STEINHATCHEE, FL, UNITED STATES
09.03.2016
Story by Maj. Colleen Krepstekies
Florida National Guard Public Affairs Office

Steinhatchee, Fla. (Sept. 3, 2016) -- After Hurricane Hermine trampled through Florida’s west coast late this week, the state launched military and civilian emergency response teams into action with calls to activate coming during Friday’s early morning hours.
The response package included the Florida National Guard’s (FLNG) specialized team referred to as the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosive, or CBRNE, Enhanced Response Force Package (CERF-P), and the state’s Urban Search and Rescue Team, Task Force 8 (TF8), that was first on the ground to set-up its mobile emergency operations center in Steinhatchee, Florida.
“The flooding here is pretty extensive through the houses and the fact that it goes from Crystal River all the way up through the panhandle area so there are a lot of people affected,” said Capt. Robert Graff, TF8 commander, as the team began its initial search of the area Friday morning.
Graff’s team is one of eight pre-positioned fire and rescue teams scattered throughout the state making up the initial, jointly trained emergency response package for the west coast.
“We do a lot of training with the Florida National Guard through our organization and also the Florida State Fire College so we communicate real well,” said Adam McCormick, TF8 team member and safety officer. “They take their boat drivers and their equipment and some of our guys are integrated right now with CERF-P and the fire department.”
At the beginning of this mission responding to Hurricane Hermine’s damage, the rescue operations began gathering information to make an initial assessment.
“We’re trying to establish how big our search area currently is and then we have to put groups into the field,” Graff said. “We’ll go through and do hasty searches to begin with and then we’ll come back and do more thorough searches.”
By early Friday afternoon, members of TF8 and the CERF-P launched to begin their survey of damaged structures and locating civilians in need.
“Everywhere they go, the GPS will show where they’ve been and it will populate a map so it will show where they have and have not been,” said Sgt. 1st Class Chuck Morrow, CERF-P team leader. “It prevents duplication of effort and ensures we go to areas we haven’t gone to.”
As the team members conducts their search with a GPS, they mark what they find.
“If they rescue a victim, find a victim, if they find debris in the road or a flood area, they’ll mark it as a way point,” said Anthony Lucin, TF8 team member. “So, an overturned tank is here, then it’s marked with a coordinate. So we know the location and it’s marked.”
CERF-P teams are a fairly new asset, recognized by the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff in 2007 as a joint capability. Since only 17 states have these teams, only a small number of National Guardsmen receive the specialized and demanding CERF-P training.
“They do high angle rope extractions, they do breaching and breaking with jack hammers,” said Morrow. “They do confined space rescue and they do it all while wearing hazmat suits.”
Morrow, who has been leading this initiative since 2004, is one of only two full-time CERF-P Soldiers in the FLNG. The rest of the Guardsmen regularly conduct weekend training with their units on top of the additional three weeks CERF-P training.
Across both military and civilian emergency response teams, members agreed that they are well prepared to collectively do their mission and that the integrated training has been paramount to their success.

Meet the Marines: High schoolers take on fitness test

Cpl. Xavier Payne, a crash fire rescue Marine with Marine Wing Support Squadron 274, 2nd Marine Air Wing, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, assists high school students as they take on a mock combat fitness test at Stewart Creek High School in Smyrna, Tenn., Sept. 6, 2016. More than 800 Marines from all over the country travelled to Nashville in support of Marine Week to commemorate the unwavering support of the American people, and show the Marine Corps’ continued dedication to protecting the citizens of this country. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kaitlyn V. Klein)

SMYRNA, TN, UNITED STATES
09.06.2016
Story by Cpl. Kaitlyn Klein
II Marine Expeditionary Force

U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 274, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, brought some motivation to Stewart Creek High School in Smyrna, Tenn., Sept. 6, 2016.

Seven Marines with the unit staged a mock combat fitness test at the school and welcomed volunteers to run through each obstacle, as well as pump out some ammo can lifts.

The CFT consists of a timed 880-yard sprint, a timed overhead ammunition can lift for two minutes, and a timed 300-yard run through combat-related tasks.

“Some of the students were overjoyed with the set-up we had for them,” said Cpl. Xavier Payne, a crash fire rescue Marine with the unit. “The CFT was something nice for them to try, and possibly look into. It showed them they can push themselves to limits they never knew they could.”

Todd Harris, a football coach and math teacher at the high school, kept the students engaged and encouraged their involvement with the Marines during the event.

“It’s a good opportunity for our students to be exposed to the Marines, and vice versa,” said Harris. “This helped show our students what it is to be a Marine, even if it’s just in a fun, competitive format like the CFT.”

More than 800 Marines from all over the country traveled to Nashville in support of Marine Week to commemorate the unwavering support of the American people, and show the Marine Corps’ continued dedication to protecting the citizens of this country.

Photo By Cpl. Kaitlyn Klein | U.S. Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 274, 2nd Marine Air Wing, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, pose with members of Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Stewart Creek High School in Smyrna, Tenn., Sept. 6, 2016. More than 800 Marines from all over the country travelled to Nashville in support of Marine Week to commemorate the unwavering support of the American people, and show the Marine Corps’ continued dedication to protecting the citizens of this country. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kaitlyn V. Klein)