Washington National Guard and WA DNR preparing together for fire season

Photo By Joseph Siemandel | Group photo of Washington National Guard members and civilian wildfire fighters working together at the Sheep Creek Fire in August 2018

CAMP MURRAY, WA, UNITED STATES

04.05.2019

Story by Joseph Siemandel 

Joint Forces Headquarters, Washington National Guard  

Springtime in Washington means the end of the long gray days, no more snow and potentially less rain in the forecast. It is also when the Washington National Guard and Washington Department of Natural resources team up to proactively prepare for the upcoming summer wildfire season. 

“We have made significant strides in building relationships with our DNR partners,” said Brig. Gen. Jeremy Horn, Director of the Joint Staff. “Our Guardsmen have enthusiasm when working together to help our communities and neighbors.”

On April 2, 2019, Guardsmen, Emergency Management professionals and meteorologists and fire scientists from Washington DNR held the annual “Fire Academy” on Camp Murray to discuss the 2019 fire season. 

Since 2014 more than 4,000 Guardsmen have been activated to support DNR, including the record setting 2014 and 2015 wildfire seasons. 

“I saw our guys come back to the fire camp after a hard day at the Sheep Creek Fire, soot covered and big smiles on their faces, they love helping their communities,” said Horn. “This has become the new norm for them and they take that very seriously.”

It’s the new norm for DNR as well. In 2018 DNR held 200 courses, trained more than 3,300 students and issued nearly 7,000 Red Cards to firefighters across the state. 

“Our goal is to keep 95 percent of the fires in the state to 10 acres or less,” said Chuck Turley, Wildfire Division manager for DNR. “We were able to keep 93 percent at 10 acres or less.” 

Turley highlights that 2018 was different from previous years, with 40 percent of the fires in the state originating in Western Washington. 

“We never put aviation assets in Western Washington during fire season and that changed last year,” said Turley. “The season saw our assets spread further than before.”

The outlook for the 2019 season is already being compared to the 2018 season, including an increase in fire activity in Western Washington according to Josh Clark, a meteorologist with DNR. 

“We are seeing above average temperatures across Washington already, and a lack of precipitation,” said Clark. “That mixed with low soil moisture levels could be bad for the 2019 season.”

Clark said the state is already dealing with drought conditions on the Olympic Peninsula and across Whatcom and Skagit counties. Rivers like the Nooksack and Skagit are below normal levels for this time of year. 

“We have seen a lot of the snow melt already and with about 60 to 70 percent of normal precipitation we are looking at a drier summer,” said Clark. “It isn’t about the temperatures in the summer, it is about how much rain and snow we get in the fall, winter and spring.”

Given this information, Washington National Guard leaders are acting earlier than before. Since January, many Guardsmen that have received their Red Card certification have completed their refresher course. The Washington National Guard’s 96th Aviation Troop Command completed its water bucket recertification in March. Units have already begun to identify more than 150 Guardsmen to conduct Red Card training in May or June, with the potential for more to be added to the list.

“We know it is not a question of if, but now a question of when,” said Col. Kevin McMahan, director of the Washington National Guard’s Joint Staff.

Airmen Head South For Annual Training

BANGOR, ME, UNITED STATES
04.04.2019
Story by Airman Erick Green
101st Air Refueling Wing/Public Affairs 

SAVANNAH AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ga. (April 4, 2019) -- Airmen at the 101st Air Refueling Wing are very committed to mission-readiness and being prepared for anything thrown at them. Being mission-ready sometimes takes a little more than performing exercises in our home state of Maine though. For the Airmen in the Fire and Emergency Services flight here at the 101st, they take advantage of the opportunity that has been given to them in traveling down south to Savannah, Georgia at the 165th Airlift Wing. Here the 101st is met with other guardsmen from other parts of New England who are ready to train as well.
“Our mission goal while in Savannah is to build comradery while still accomplishing the required training that we came here to do,” said Chief Master Sgt. Jeremiah Jordan, the military Fire Chief at the 101st Air Refueling Wing. “Our goal is to make sure our Airmen are both deployable and in other cases getting the training that they need to go onto their next skill level.”
The opportunity to be able to come to Savannah was something that Jordan wanted to jump on once the chance presented itself.
“The chance to be able to come down here and experience the diversity of thought that many other Guard units have was something that I wanted my unit and I to experience,” said Jordan. “The different ways that they do things could help our unit see other ways of doing our job opposed to just the way that the 101st operates.”
The 101st has come to Savannah for the past four years for this annual training, and every year the training has changed and improved in a variety of ways, this is all thanks to Jordan and the other higher-ranking enlisted that accompany him on this trip. One of the key leaders in the evolution of these annual exercises is Chief Master Sgt. Robert Cross, the Installation Fire Chief for the 103rd Airlift Wing in Connecticut.
“One of our main goals as we try to evolve this training year after year is to retain our firefighters,” said Cross. “We collected data that a lot of Airmen were leaving because they didn’t feel like they were actually military firefighters.
“So once we captured that data, we developed a plan a few years ago to come down to Savannah and build comradery amongst the units,” said Cross. “We wanted to get our firefighting training done in a very short period of time without anything external taking away from the training and getting the job done.”
The 101st was not always apart of the annual training in Savannah though, as originally it was only a couple of different Guard units that came together in Georgia for a significantly smaller gathering.
“Originally it was Connecticut and Rhode Island that came down here for a couple years before we came along with them,” said Jordan. “In 2016 we jumped in and along the way a couple more Guard units joined as well and together we all made the training that our Airmen are experiencing this week possible.”
The training in Savannah that the Airmen endured includes learning key knowledge like how to handle hazardous material and to use the technology involved, vehicle extrication, how to use cables to navigate down buildings in order to rescue trapped victims, small arms certification, extinguishing a live fire and other practical examinations such as situations that they would face while on the job.
“Being able to come down here and worry about nothing but training has really helped not only the 101st, but the other units gathered here as well,” said Jordan. “Not having to worry about Commander’s Call, or medical appointments or anything else external and to just train and only worry about training has helped us so much.”

NSA Souda Bay Firefighters Receive Regional Awards

GREECE
03.27.2019
Photo by Joel Diller
U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay 

From left to right, Patrick Murphy, NSA Souda Bay Assistant Fire Chief, Jon Rodgers, NSA Souda Bay Fire Chief, Steven Gray, NSA Souda Bay Assistant Fire Chief, Karl Chen, NSA Souda Bay firefighter, Cody Conger, NSA Souda Bay firefighter, and Capt. Ryan T. Tewell, commanding officer NSA Souda Bay, pose for a group photo during an awards ceremony, March 27, 2019. Gray was awarded the Navy Regional Fire Service Instructor of the Year award, Chen was awarded the Navy Region EMS Provider of the Year award, and Conger was awarded Navy Regional Firefighter of the Year award. NSA Souda Bay is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed and when they are needed to ensure security and stability in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia. (U.S. Navy photo by Joel Diller/Released)

380th ELRS FaRM: Repairing firetrucks and refuelers

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Darnell Cannady | Senior Airman Ismael Garcia, 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron general-purpose mechanic, opens and closes a tank to pump of a refueler truck at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, Mar. 28, 2019. The FaRM provides safe and serviceability to speciality vehicles to enable emergency firefighting response and aircraft or base assets refueling capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Darnell T. Cannady)

AL DHAFRA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

04.03.2019

Story by Tech. Sgt. Darnell Cannady 

380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs  

Whenever there is an issue involving speciality vehicles at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, that is when the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron’s Firetruck and Refueling mechanics gets to work.

FaRM provides safety and serviceability to speciality vehicles to enable emergency firefighting response and aircraft or base assets refueling capabilities.

“The refuelers that we service and repair fuel all aircrafts on base, form KC-10, U-2, RQ-4s, and E-3s,” said Tech. Sgt. Jared Hopper, 380th ELRS NCOIC, fire truck and refueling maintenance. “The fire trucks that we are responsible for are used for flight line emergencies and base medical and structural emergencies.” 

FaRM is responsible for 70 assets including 31 Refuelers, 29 Fuels Operational Readiness Capability Equipment, and 10 Fire Trucks. 

“As a Fire Truck and Re-fueling mechanic, we go through exhaustive additional training to be knowledgeable in the accessory systems added to these vehicles,” said Hopper. “We require being able to think quickly and solve difficult problems at the drop of a hat. In addition, the ability to comprehend multiple system schematics and diagnose and problem solve mechanical vehicle components to ensure that our mission continues.” 

These members directly affect the vehicles needed to keep ADAB operational.

“My favorite part of the job is having a direct impact on the mission,” said Staff Sgt. Gabriel Villalpando, 380th ELRS firetruck and refueling maintenance craftsman. “We have a direct impact on the flight line, you need the firetrucks to fight fires and the refuelers fuel the planes.”

“Being a firetruck/refueler mechanic has always been a very demanding and self-fulfilling career”, said Senior Airman Jeremy Glodowski, 380th ELRS firetruck and refueling maintenance. “I look forward to what challenges await me in the future.”

The FaRM uses the experiences from each member to enhance it’s capabilities.

“I have a pretty good knowledge on most of these trucks compared to the other guys so it helped with me being here with these guys because if they have an issue I can share my knowledge with them,” said Senior Airman Freddie Martinez, 380th ELRS firetruck and refueling maintenance journeyman. “We can work together to solve an issue. We have pretty good turnaround times and trucks don’t normally stay down too long.” 

By working together as a team, the FaRM ensures their maintainers are better equipped to solve issues here and at their home station. 

“These guys have been very helpful in which they know that I don’t tend to usually work on these types of vehicles so whenever you have a question, ask,” said Senior Airman Ismael Garcia, 380th ELRS general-purpose mechanic. “I have a better understanding to how FaRM works and a better appreciation for the guys back home for what they have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.”

KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea

Photo By Senior Airman Stefan Alvarez | Fire fighters from the 8th Civil Engineer Squadron rescue a mannequin simulating a fall victim at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, March 26, 2019. This was the first time the fire department exercised retrieving someone hanging in a harness from an aircraft cargo loader. (U.S. Air Force phot by Senior Airman Stefan Alvarez)

KUNSAN AIR BASE, SOUTH KOREA
03.29.2019
Story by Senior Airman Stefan Alvarez
8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs 

KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea— The 8th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department doesn’t just respond to cats stuck in trees, they also execute life-saving actions.

The cargo aircraft that often come and go at Kunsan Air Base require a special piece of heavy machinery to unload the pallets of cargo. There are two variants of these machines: the 60K or 25K Aircraft Cargo Loader. Both are often called a “k-loader” and can reach a maximum height of 18.5 feet. Personnel working on the top of the loaders are required to wear a safety harness in case they fall off.

“The harnesses can easily support just over 300 pounds,” said Master Sgt. Robert Wocking, 731st Air Mobility Squadron Operating Location-Alpha contracting officer representative. “It will save you from falling off and hitting the ground, but if you stay hung up long enough it could be life-threatening. Blood circulation will get cut off and you can potentially swing around and hit the actual k-loader itself, causing more injuries.”

The dangers from being suspended in the air for too long is why the fire department has to respond as quickly as possible, specifically under six minutes. Training to execute this in that amount of time means life or death for someone who might be hanging off the edge.

“This is the first time the fire department has been tested on this on this kind of emergency,” said Tech. Sgt. Felix Colon, 8th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter. “We have a lot of cargo aircraft coming and going and personnel using the k-loaders frequently, so it’s something we want to start training on.”

The safety and well-being of the Airmen is a top priority at the 8th Fighter Wing. The Wolf Pack takes the opportunity to go the extra mile and do additional training to expand on the skills and competencies of the emergency responders. This ensures they have the experience and equipment to do their job with a high level of proficiency and professionalism.