Firefighter Training Goes Virtual

Photo By Charles Haymond | Jeremy Genier, 55th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, simulates spraying water on a house fire March 8, 2019, on Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The FLAIM trainer is a firefighter simulator that provides real world scenarios to enhance their skills without being in an unsafe environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Charles J. Haymond) 

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, NE, UNITED STATES
03.29.2019
Story by Charles Haymond
55th Wing Public Affairs 

Firefighters train weekly to maintain readiness, so when the call comes to put their lives at risk for the people they serve, they are prepared.
Whether in training or on a live fire, they are susceptible to various carcinogenic toxins - until now.

To help reduce the inhalation of toxins, more and more fire departments are purchasing virtual reality equipment to provide a safer way to train their members. Offutt is one of them.

The 55th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department recently used innovation funds to purchase a simulator that provides real-world scenarios to enhance their skills without being in an unsafe environment.

“This trainer allows firefighters to fight fires in a virtual controlled environment that detects whether agent is applied correctly to extinguish fires,” said David Eblin, 55th CES installation fire chief. “The trainer mimics the heat a firefighter feels and presents a multitude of fire scenarios, to include building and aircraft fires.”

Not only is the simulator safer, but it is also more cost effective and easier to use.

Now firefighters do not have to load up their rigs with equipment, water, gas and wear heavy equipment when training. They are able to train in their training rooms without leaving the facility.

“With the cost of firefighter personal protective exceeding $3,000 and the high cost of specialized firefighting vehicles, $500, 000 to $800,000, this trainer saves wear and tear, fuel, and operational costs on these high dollar assets as they are not used as often,” Eblin said.

The simulator consists of a head monitor display, nozzle and protective clothing.

The computer central processing unit is in the simulated firefighter air tank system that the individual places on their back. This simulated tank is much lighter than what the firefighters would normally wear during a call.

“Lightweight means less physical stress on our bodies,” said Carlos Ruffin, 55th CES firefighter driver operator. “Our vehicles, and equipment would also stay in-service, allowing for faster responses to real world emergencies that occur while we’re training.”

While the simulator allows skill sharpening in a safe environment, the department recognizes the authenticity of a real fire is the best way to learn.

“There’s no substitute for fighting real fires,” Ruffin said. “In order to do what we do, we have to know how fire is going to react when you introduce something new to that environment - water, foam, ventilation, etc. If you apply any of those examples in the wrong way, you could end up hurting yourself and others.”

Columbus city council recognizes Benning firefighter for translation aid during international exercise

Photo By Bryan Gatchell | COLUMBUS, Ga. – Members of the Columbus, Georgia, city council unanimously recognized a firefighter at Fort Benning and others April 2 for an inter-community, international emergency exercise in 2018 that trained a class at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). In August 2018, Fort Benning firefighter Elizabeth Gomez and others participated as actors and facilitators during a simulated flood to teach military and civilian officers from WHINSEC about emergency operations during a natural disaster. (U.S. Army photo by Bryan Gatchell, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Public Affairs)

COLUMBUS, GA, UNITED STATES

04.03.2019

Story by Bryan Gatchell 

Fort Benning Public Affairs Office  

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Members of the Columbus, Georgia, city council unanimously recognized a firefighter at Fort Benning and others April 2 for an inter-community, international emergency exercise in 2018 that trained a class at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC).

In August 2018, Fort Benning firefighter Elizabeth Gomez and others participated as actors and facilitators during a simulated flood to teach military and civilian officers from WHINSEC about emergency operations during a natural disaster.

Gomez, who received a plaque and a copy of the city council proclamation, did not expect to receive recognition publicly.

“I work in emergency services; I love helping people,” she said. “When they asked me to help, I helped, because that’s what I do.”

The exercise took place on the Chattahoochee River. In the scenario, a flood swept people downriver, stranding them on the islands immediately below the rapids. The WHINSEC students, who included military and civilian personnel from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Paraguay, coordinated with local emergency services to corral efforts and resources. They took boats to the islands, moved the role players to the shores, and triaged the injured role players. On one side of the river, the students tracked the injured role players and updated the notional mayor of the upriver city on the progress of rescue operations.

Gomez, who is originally from Medellín, Colombia, speaks Spanish and English and was able to act as an intermediary between the Spanish-speaking students and the English-speaking local emergency personnel.

“To give back to the community from where I was originally from was very nice,” said Gomez.

“She didn’t hesitate to stand up,” said Charles Herlth, a training officer at Columbus Fire and EMS, who helped coordinate the event. “This was key to allow the students to focus on the tasks and not have to worry about trying to get information interpreted into Spanish so they could understand what they were receiving from their situational reports.”

Herlth also expressed the importance of the ongoing relationship between Fort Benning and Columbus, especially as that relationship concerns real-world emergency operations.

“Our relations with Fort Benning fire is significant,” said Herlth. “There are no boundaries when it comes to public safety. If they have a significant event on Fort Benning, Fort Benning knows we’re coming. Also, if we have something significant in Columbus, to where our resources are being tasked, we know Fort Benning’s coming.”

To learn more about the original exercise, visit www.army.mil/article/210249.

101st and 103rd Firefighters Team Up For Training at Savannah Air National Guard

SAVANNAH, GA, UNITED STATES
03.17.2019
Photo by Airman Erick Green
101st Air Refueling Wing/Public Affairs 

Airman 1st Class Andrew Stein, a firefighter at the 103rd Airlift Wing propels down the side of a building March 17, 2019 at the 165th Airlift Wing, Savannah, Georgia. This exercise was for Airmen to practice the proper way to set up a safety harness for other firefighters to use along with learning how to properly and safely navigate down a building while in the harness.

Potential Gas Leak at Lackland Food Court

SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES
03.30.2019
Photo by Andrew Patterson
502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs 

502d Fire & Rescue responded to an alert call for a potential gas leak at the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland AAFES Food Court Mar. 30, 2019. After assessment by the Fire team, no major leak detected and the building was ventilated with no issues reported. (U.S. Air Force photo by Andrew C. Patterson)

U.S. military firefighters train for earthquakes at Camp Zama

A U.S. military firefighter uses a saw to cut through a concrete wall during earthquake training at Camp Zama, Japan, March 26. The training was a part of the 33rd annual U.S. Forces Japan Fire Officers Association Training Symposium.

JAPAN
04.02.2019
Story by Winifred Brown
US Army Garrison - Japan 

For decades, the sounds of military family life at Camp Zama reverberated within the walls of 1078 MacArthur Drive, but March 26 through 28, 2019, firefighters took over the now-uninhabited home and filled it with sounds of hope for earthquake victims.

In this case, that meant the sounds of drills and saws creating holes in concrete walls and ceilings.

U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force firefighters from throughout Japan and Okinawa gathered at Camp Zama for the 33rd annual U.S. Forces Japan Fire Officers Association Training Symposium, which featured a hands-on training scenario where firefighters had to reach earthquake victims inside a collapsed building.

Firefighters spent the first two days creating holes in concrete walls and ceilings and practicing sending firefighters through the holes to reach rescue dummies. The fire chiefs and other administrators, meanwhile, discussed the latest ways to improve fire protection, and on the last day, attended a demonstration of the training.

The demonstration showed how rescuers would first drill a small hole in the floor and place a special video camera through it to check on an earthquake victim; use a device to check the air quality below; cut a larger hole through the floor with saws and drills; send firefighters through the floor; and bring the victim up through the floor and out of the building for medical care. A firefighter videotaped the demonstration inside the building and it played live on a screen outside.

Frank Wombwell, regional fire chief, U.S. Army Garrison Japan Fire and Emergency Services, said the symposium was a great way for firefighters from all four branches of the service to get together and learn from one another.

“The relationship we have with the other branches of the service, it really needs to be there,” Wombwell said. “We need to see what’s going on with the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Air Force and then in turn, they see what’s going on with the Army.”

Yuhei Hino, regional training officer, Fire and Emergency Services, U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, said firefighters cannot perform their jobs to the best of their abilities if they are not all in sync during an emergency situation.

“So events like today’s are a great opportunity for us firefighters to get to know each other and establish relationships with the other sister services,” Hino said. “From there, hopefully we’ll able to exchange techniques and skills so that each organization will be prepared for any emergency.”

Wombwell said this was the first time in 14 years that Camp Zama had hosted the symposium, and that meant many of the installation’s firefighters could participate.

One of them was Tetsuya Hamada, fire crew chief for Engine 1, Fire and Emergency Services, USAG Japan, and he said the training inspired him for rescue missions.

“One of the other firefighters told me that our job does not end when we make a hole in the wall,” Hamada said. “He said our job ends when we perform all the necessary operations in order to rescue someone in need. That resonated with me.”

Most of the firefighters at U.S. military bases in Japan are local nationals, and this was the first year that U.S. service members participated in the training, said Staff Sgt. Rico Blas Castro, assigned to the 374th Civil Engineering Squadron at Yokota Air Base, and one of the three U.S. service members who participated.

Blas Castro served as the training’s incident commander and said he learned a lot from the local-national firefighters during the training.

“It was great partnering with them and to learn their rescue skills to build our rescue skills,” Blas Castro said. “If a disaster does happen, I have full confidence in all of them and all of us that we’ll be able to work together.”

Senior Airman James Butler, also assigned to the 374th CES at Yokota, said he learned the fundamentals of cutting through concrete; the ropes and knots necessary for rescues; and how to get people out of harsh conditions.

“I know I can take this knowledge and bring it back with me and teach some of the guys so we can have some of the same wherewithal on how to do stuff and day-to-day operations as far as rescue operations like this,” Butler said. “That way we’re all on the same page as far as rescue, so it’s great.”

Col. Phillip Gage, commander of USAG Japan, and USAG Japan Command Sgt. Maj. Billy Norman visited the symposium on its first day and welcomed the nearly 100 participants.

Gage, who noted a building fire took place on Camp Zama in November 2018, thanked the firefighters for their dedication to the mission.

“Because of our fire department and also our local-national fire departments outside the gate—due to their professionalism—they saved the building very quickly and everyone was safe, so your training does pay off,” Gage said.