Bilateral exercise prepares JASDF, USAF for airshow

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Brandon Cotham, a fireman assigned to the 35th Civil Engineer Squadron, conducts a patient assessment during a bilateral emergency management exercise at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Aug. 31, 2016. Firemen assessed patient damage and escorted them to a safe zone. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. April Quintanilla)

By Airman 1st Class Sadie Colbert, 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published September 01, 2016

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Midday, a loud boom echoed across Misawa’s flight line during a bilateral emergency management exercise led by the Japanese Air Self Defense Force, Aug. 31.

The exercise was held to prepare USAF and JASDF members in the case of a scenario where a suicide bomber detonates an improvised explosive device, said Master Sgt. Elizabeth Ehrnschwender, a wing self-assessment program manager with the 35th Fighter Wing inspector general’s office.

USAF and JASDF agencies including security forces, medical and fire responded to approximately 60 American and Japanese personnel who simulated various injuries that could occur after an explosion.

“We’ll have an exceptionally large amount of people on the base [during the air show],” Ehrnschwender said. “The risk associated with this is greater than during our normal day-to-day operations, so it’s important the base [knows] we’re ready to respond to an incident.”

Ehrnschwender explained an EME is required to be conducted prior to any air show, and with both JASDF and USAF members planning the event together, they decided to perform the exercise jointly.

“In the planning stages we established who the counterparts are, who the chain of command is for the incident, where people are going to be staged, and where and how we are going to respond,” Ehrnschwender said. “In a real world incident, the JASDF would respond to the Japanese patients who would be taken to a Japanese hospital and we would take care of our own U.S. patients, so it’s important we work together to establish whose role is whose.”

Tech. Sgt. Joseph Helguero, a flight sergeant assigned to the 35th Security Forces Squadron, said he is confident in the exercise and how it has prepared them for any explosive scenario.

“Coordinating with the JASDF is something we do often and we do it well,” Helguero said. “I think we would be able to handle a situation like this if it were to ever occur.”

He added that although the exercise went well, there are always things everyone can improve on.

“Participating in exercises like this help us coordinate better,” Helguero said. “It helps us learn how to function as one unit."

Japan Air Self Defense Force member 1st Lt. Murase Toshia, left, and Kawashima Toshinobu, an assistant fire chief, center, discuss with U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Francis Tagalog, a deputy fire chief and incident commander assigned to the 35th Civil Engineer Squadron, the situation and roles of the firemen from both the JASDF and USAF during a bilateral emergency management exercise at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Aug. 31, 2016. During the planning stages both sides established the counterparts, chain of command and how all agencies were going to respond. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Sadie Colbert) 

9/11 Memorial Climb held to honor lost first responders

Dawn Solinski, San Antonio 110 event coordinator, poses for a photo in front of the Tower of the Americas after finishing the memorial climb. The San Antonio 110 committee was founded in 2013 by a group of firefighters. The memorial climb, held at the in the city’s downtown, is to pay tribute to the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. (Photo by Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Nina J. Ramon, 205 Press Camp Headquarters)

SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES
09.11.2016
Courtesy Story
205th Press Camp Headquarters

SAN ANTONIO – Firefighters, police, military, and a myriad of other safety and security agencies joined together to commemorate the lives of the first responders lost in the 9/11 attacks, 15 years later on Sept. 11, 2016. Around 960 climbers ascended and descended 110 stories of the Tower of the Americas in downtown San Antonio.

In an air of competition, different safety and security agencies tried to out do each other by donning the most equipment up and down the tower stairs. SWAT members were in full body armor and helmets as Firefighters were fitted with oxygen tanks, face shields, and hoses.

One of the firefighters who made the climb was Joe Ochoa, a firefighter with the Saint Hedwig Fire Department located near San Antonio. Ochoa, a U.S. Army Reserve Veteran, had given much of his life to his country and community.

In 2005, he served in Iraq with the 463rd Engineer Battalion in the U.S. Army Reserve. There he was responsible for fortifying forward operating bases and keeping his fellow service members safe in a combat environment.

Ochoa, along with many other climbers, carried memorial tags with a picture of one of the first responders that were lost. Ochoa was in full fireproof garb and helmet as he made the climb.

“These guys didn’t quit, so I didn’t quit,” he said. “They [the 9/11 first-responders] had no idea what they were running going into. I kept going, to honor them.”

The event coordinator, Dawn Solinski, gathered 300 volunteers to hand out water, direct crowds, and maintain order during the event. Solinski stated, “This started with a cooler full of Gatorade and word of mouth,” as she described the humble beginnings of the event in 2013.

This was the first year the event staff asked for a $20 donation from participants who wanted to climb. After operating costs, the event has raised over $40,000 for the different charities. This year, all of the proceeds will be donated to the Rotary Firefighter’s Home. This is a charity that provides housing for firefighters who are undergoing cancer treatment.

A Firefighter in full uniform and personal protection equipment climbs 110 flights of stairs in the Tower of The Americas to pay tribute to the 343 fallen firefighters and 70 Law enforcement and 9 Emergency Medical Personnel who lost their lives at ground zero on September 11, 2001. The equipment the firefighters wear can exceed more than 75 pounds. Two ascents of the towers equaled the height of the World Trade Center Towers. (U.S. Army photo by 1SG Timothy Lawn, 205th PCH)

As the memorial climb begins Joe Ocha (right), a U.S. Army Reserve veteran, joins his fellow firefighters as they begin the ascend up the Tower of the Americas stairs Sept 11, 2016. Ocha is a member of the St. Hedwig Fire Department, located near San Antonio. The memorial climb is hosted by the San Antonio 110 committee in honor of the to the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. (Photo by Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Nina J. Ramon, 205 Press Camp Headquarters)

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.