NY Army, Air Guard team up for winter weather response.

Photo By Staff Sgt. Julio Olivencia Jr | New York Army and Air Guardsmen wait for a mission to come down at the United States Armed Forces Reserve Center in New Windsor, New York March 8, 2018. A team of 127 Army and Air Guardsman were activated by the state to aid in the recovery from two winter storms. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Julio A. Olivencia Jr.)

NEWBURGH, NY, UNITED STATES
03.08.2018
Story by Staff Sgt. Julio Olivencia Jr
105th Airlift Wing NY Air National Guard 

Newburgh, N.Y. (March 8, 2018) — More than 120 New York Army and Air Guardsmen joined forces at the United States Armed Forces Reserve Center in New Windsor to aid citizens across the Hudson Valley after a duo of winter storms ravaged the region.

The Guardsmen, 127 in total, came from as far away as Syracuse to aid in debris clearing, welfare checks, and other duties.

Lt. Col. Benson Louie, the bio-environmental engineer assigned to the 109th Airlift Wing, said the troops were waiting on a mission to come down, but they were expected to take part in debris clearing.

“We are to serve in a support role mostly in debris clearing,” Louie said.

The collaboration is just a recent example in a long heritage of the Army and Air Guard Working together in New York.

Maj. David Myones, the battalion executive officer assigned to the 369th Special Troops Battalion said he welcomes the help from the Air Guardsmen.

“The more the merrier—blue, green—working together to accomplish the same mission for the community,” Myones said.

“We have folks from myriad backgrounds that can support in addition to debris clearing,” Louie said. “We have medical folks, vehicle maintenance folks and communication folks as well.”

Myones added that the Air Guard brings with them special skills, a sentiment echoed by Louie.

“We have folks from myriad backgrounds that can support in addition to debris clearing,” Louie said. “We have medical folks, vehicle maintenance folks and communication folks as well.”

This is Airman 1st Class Kyle Jones’s first state mission. Jones, a firefighter assigned to the 174th Attack Wing, said he immediately volunteered when called.

“It gets us out there and face to face with people and showing our support with the community and how we’re not just always deploying and training on base,” Jones said. “We’re actually getting out there with the community and helping the people.”

140th Fire Department Fights A Real World Fire

Photo By Staff Sgt. Bobbie Reynolds | U.S. Air Force Airmen, assigned to the 140th Wing Civil Engineering Squadron, Colorado Air National Guard, and the 460th Space Wing Fire Department responded to a structure fire in Bennett, Colo., Mar. 2, 2018. Firefighters from both units collaborated with 10 other agencies in the surrounding Bennett area to contain a structural house fire, successfully avoiding a potential grass fire, loss of lives and property. (Courtesy Photo by the140th Fire Department)

AURORA, CO, UNITED STATES

03.02.2018

Story by Staff Sgt. Bobbie Reynolds 

140th Wing Public Affairs  

Dan Gordon, Buckley Fire, and Emergency Services Station chief, 460th Space Wing reported 18 Colorado Air National Guardsmen, the 460th Fire Department, and 10 other agencies responded to a house fire in a dry part of the state.

Red Flag warnings were in effect in the Bennett area and, although there was no threat to life at the time of the response, there was a potential for the fire to rapidly spread due to the hot temperatures, dry conditions, and heavy winds.

“We were trying to prevent the fire from spreading to other structures close by and keep it from turning into a wildland fire event,” said Tech. Sgt. Andrew Gard, deputy fire chief of the 140th Civil Engineering Squadron. “Because of the red flag warnings in that area, they needed manpower for this particular event and manpower is what we were able to bring.”

According to dispatch, the 140th FD was on scene at 10:38 a.m to help extinguish the fire on the exterior of the building and relieve other firefighters, who had been fighting the fire for several hours before Buckley arrived on scene.

“Prior to our arrival, crews had been working tirelessly to extinguish the fire. The incident commander requested additional manpower to assist in defensive firefighting operations and to provide much-needed relief to the initial responders,” said Gard.

Fire crews attached to the 140th Wing and the 460th Space Wing helped contain the fire and was released at 1:00 p.m the same day, according to Gordon. 

The interagency agreement among the departments gave the 140th and the 460th the ability to respond quickly and help the other agencies on scene. Damage was minimized and a large scale grass fire was prevented due to the outstanding teamwork and collective effort of many departments.

Gordon said one important piece to a successful mission is different agencies willing to come together for a common cause. 

“We were fortunate that we had the right resources and were at the right place at the right time. We are always happy to help. It’s in our nature. It’s what we do,” said Gard.

Saving Eagles

Photo By Airman 1st Class Elijah Chevalier | Airmen assigned to the 48th Civil Engineer Squadron train while at F-15E Strike Eagle taxis by at Royal Air Force Lakeneheath, England, Feb. 8. RAF Lakenheath firefighters are trained to respond to a wide variety of emergencies. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Eli Chevalier) 

BRANDON, SFK, UNITED KINGDOM
02.13.2018
Story by Airman 1st Class Elijah Chevalier
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs 

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England – Sometimes things go wrong. Even with routine maintenance, an aircraft can lose cabin pressure or hydraulics can fail.
In these emergency situations pilots have the peace of mind that highly trained individuals are waiting for them when they land.
Air Force firefighters are always ready to respond not only to typical fire emergencies, but to aircraft related ones as well.
“We are always prepared for anything that can go wrong,” said Staff Sgt. Alexander McCaul, 48th Civil Engineer Squadron station chief. “We train to be familiar with all aspects of every aircraft in the Air Force and how to tailor our skillset during times of emergency.”
Firefighters work hand in hand with power production Airmen to train and certify them on the use of their barrier arresting kits, which act as an external emergency brake for the aircraft. The firefighters can then assist in resetting them.
“The fire department takes the lead on the whole emergency, making sure the personnel are okay,” said Staff Sgt. Spencer Thresh, 48th CES barrier maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge. “They disconnect the cable from the tail hook, and we do the maintenance to ensure the system will be ready for another use.”
This close partnership between the two different organizations allowed two 48th Fighter Wing aircraft to perform safe emergency landings within an hour on Dec. 11, 2017.
“We had about seven minutes to get the barrier recertified, move the jet off the runway and open it back up,” said McCaul. “It was almost immediately after we cleared the first aircraft that another jet needed to catch a barrier too. Since we consistently work with the power production team, we were prepared for the situation. The aircraft was able to land immediately, and the mission kept going.”
The attention to detail and constant readiness of the Airmen of the 48th CES provides a sense of security to the pilots of the Liberty Wing. In these instances the pilots and weapon system officers walked away and the two $54 million F-15E Strike Eagles were quickly returned to flying status.
“Knowing that if the worst was to happen, that help would only be seconds away really reduces the stress we feel, so we can focus on getting the jet on the ground safely rather than wondering what might happen,” said a pilot from the 492nd Fighter Squadron.
The hard work of the firefighters keep the mission of the 48th Fighter Wing moving, one saved Eagle at a time.
“It’s a great service to be in,” said McCaul. “We are a service that provides for the people, and that’s what we are here for. It’s really cool to be a part of something that has a footprint everywhere. I definitely love what I do.”

Kingsley Fire Department Safeguards Community

U.S. Air Force Colonel James Mitchell, 173rd Mission Support Group commander, introduces a group of Kingsley Field Fire Fighters to Major General Michael Stencel, the Adjutant General, Oregon, at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon February 27, 2018. These fire fighters were recognized for their recent life saving actions in the local community. Stencel spent the morning at Kingsley Field hearing updates on the current operations and strengths, as well as meeting and recognizing top performing Airmen across the Wing. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jennifer Shirar)

KLAMATH FALLS, OR, UNITED STATES
03.06.2018
Story by Staff Sgt. Penny Snoozy
173rd Fighter Wing/Public Affairs 

The Kingsley Field Fire Department plays double duty serving the needs of the 173rd Fighter Wing and the needs of its community in Klamath Falls, Ore. Throughout 2017, Kingsley's Fire Department responded to 239 community calls as a part of their mutual aid agreement.

Although their primary purpose is to provide fire prevention and fire protection services for structural and aircraft responses, they also have the chance to save lives.

On Feb. 17, 2018, the Kingsley Fire Department responded to assist an unresponsive local citizen during a mutual aid call. Once on scene, the fighter fighters implemented their Basic Life Support capability. As trained professionals, the members executed continuous CPR, assisted ventilations, and drug administration from the first moment on the scene through the transport to the hospital.

“These folks were at the right place at the right time and willing to do the job,” said Col James Mitchell, 173rd Mission Support Group commander.

After calling the hospital for an update, they found the patient to be recovering in the Intensive Care Unit after experiencing what was identified as cardiac arrest.

“They literally saved the life of a local citizen,” said Mitchell. “If it was another shift, another day, there would be three or four other people [being recognized] because every single one of you is stepping up to take care of people,” he said while speaking to the fire fighters.
The Kingsley Field Fire Department was recently recognized for these efforts by Maj. Gen. Michael Stencel, the Adjutant General, Oregon.

“We never want an event like this to happen, but this highlights the ultimate reason that we do what we do,” added Mitchell.

Top-notch fire training facility opens

Staff Sgt. Jacob Sorby, left and Charles Arnold, 96th Civil Engineer Group firefighters, rappel from the top story of a new structural training facility during a ribbon cutting ceremony March 1 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The ribbon cutting marked the official opening of the new training facility. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ilka Cole)

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FL, UNITED STATES
03.06.2018
Story by Ilka Cole
Eglin Air Force Base 

Firefighters from the 96th Civil Engineer Group rappelled from the top of their new structural training facility to cut the ribbon marking its official opening here March 1.

The new fire training facility, dubbed “The Assistant Fire Chief” replaces the previous burn house.

“This is truly a state of the art facility. We’re very proud to cut the ribbon today and put it into service,” said Mark Giuliano, Eglin fire chief. “Our firefighters have been eager to use it since the day it was done, but we held off. We wanted the people who helped support us to take a look at it first.”

The training facility allows for multiple diverse firefighting scenarios to provide realistic training opportunities.

Inside the building, walls can be moved to change the configuration of the rooms creating the various scenarios to meet the training needs. Firefighters can put out actual live fires and experience high fire temperatures first-hand in the first and second floor burn rooms.

“It won’t be the same scenario every time, live fire training isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. Firefighting is dangerous work,” said the fire chief.

To prepare for dangerous operations, the facility supports high-angle rescue operations, laddering, rappelling, roof penetration, helo deployment training simulations, and floor collapse.

The $680,000 training facility is also equipped with 5,000 pound rappelling anchors and the only four-story fire training elevator shaft in Northwest Florida.

“One of the primary needs identified was the lack of an elevator shaft,” said Joseph Suddarth, 96th Civil Engineer Group, assistant fire chief for training. “The only time we could train in an elevator shaft is when an elevator was out of service. That became one of our primary add-ins.”

Suddarth designed the state-of-the-art facility and ensured every National Fire Protection Agency live fire requirement was met.

The assistant fire chief for training considered what firefighting might look like in 25 years and took into account the training needs and current burn houses in the local firefighting communities to create the new building.

Suddarth visited community partners from Pensacola to Tallahassee to learn about burn house designs to determine training needs and incorporate those features.

“We’re going to welcome our local partners outside the gate to train here like we do with our aircraft fire training,” said Giuliano. “They’ve already expressed an interest in coming out to use the new facility and we’re glad we can do that for them.”