911th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, teaches fire control techniques to the Allegheny County Airport Authority Fire Rescue team at the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania,

PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIR RESERVE STATION, PA, UNITED STATES
05.09.2019
Photo by Senior Airman Grace Thomson
911th Airlift Wing 

Members of the Allegheny County Airport Authority Fire Rescue team look around the cargo bay of a C-17 Globemaster III at the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania, May 9, 2019. The 911th Airlift Wing ACAA-FR conducted joint training to familiarize the firefighters with the flash points and system procedures of the C-17. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Grace Thomson)


 Members of the 911th Airlift Wing and the Allegheny County Airport Authority Fire Rescue team listen to instructions on wing fire control at the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania, May 9, 2019. The 911th AW converted from C-130 Hercules to C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and the firefighters need to be trained on the new aircraft in case of an emergency. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Grace Thomson)

Jack Balkovec and Jarrod Barker, Allegheny County Airport Authority Fire Rescue firefighters, walk down the ramp of a B-2 stand at the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania, May 9, 2019. The ACAA-FR firefighters received training on how to open emergency hatches from the outside of the C-17 Globemaster III. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Grace Thomson)

Tech. Sgt. Matthew Dillon, a crew chief with the 911th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, opens a C-17 Globemaster III underside hatch for the Allegheny County Airport Authority Fire Rescue team at the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania, May 9, 2019. Dillon showed the firefighters all of the places that may be flash points for fires as well as where valves and systems need to be turned off to prevent further damage to the aircraft during a fire. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Grace Thomson)

Tech. Sgt. Matthew Dillon, a crew chief with the 911th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, teaches fire control techniques to the Allegheny County Airport Authority Fire Rescue team at the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania, May 7, 2019. The firefighters needed to be trained on the C-17 Globemaster III due to the base conversion from C-130 Hercules aircraft. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Grace Thomson)

Fort Knox Bicycle Safety Day teaches kids safety, tests their knowledge

Lauren Wilson sits in a Fort Knox fire truck while her mother photographs her. The Fort Knox Bicycle Safety Day event was designed to teach children how to safely ride their bicycles along Fort Knox streets and other roadways.

FORT KNOX, KY, UNITED STATES
05.09.2019
Story by G. Anthonie Riis
Fort Knox 

The Fort Knox main Exchange hosted Fort Knox Bicycle Safety Day in its parking lot May 8.

The event was designed to teach children how to safely ride their bicycles along Fort Knox streets and other roadways, according to Wendy Steinhoff, a certified safety and health official with the Fort Knox Garrison Safety Office.

“[We hold] the safety event to teach our most valuable assets -- our kids -- about driving their bicycles safely,” Steinhoff said. “They learned hand-and-arm signals; they learned safe riding locations on the installation, to ride with the traffic flow and to always wear a helmet.”

To reinforce the importance of bicyclists wearing helmets, Fort Knox firefighters teamed up with members of the Kentucky Mountain Bike Association for an illustration.

“We saw a helmet demonstration where watermelons were dropped from a [fire]truck,” said Vince Carman, one of the commissioners of Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission, Radcliff. “That made a big impression on them.”

Steinhoff stressed that while wearing a helmet is a primary means to keeping bicycling children safe, kids are safest when parents ensure their helmets are properly fitted. Bike club members demonstrated the proper fit before the children got on their bikes.

“[At] the helmet fittings, both children and parents learned how to properly wear the bike helmet,” said Steinhoff. “Parents should continue to go over the things they’ve learned so that it becomes second nature to them.”

Carman stressed the importance of reinforcing what kids learn through practice.

”The [military police officers] taught them their hand-and-arm signals for stopping, and turning right or left,” Carman said. “We helped shepherd a bike safety rodeo where the kids got to practice their stopping and hand-and-arm movements.”

Bicycle Safety Day came at an opportune time since kids are beginning to enjoy riding with nicer weather, said Carman.

“We can expect kids will be out more with the warmer weather and more free time,” he said. “We were able to do bicycle safety checks, and to give the kids a solid foundation in bicycle safety and practice of the ABCs of bicycle readiness.”

The ABCs stand for proper air in the tires, properly functioning brakes and a working oiled chain. According to to Steinhoff, a tuned-up bike will greatly reduce accidents.

Both Steinhoff and Carman wanted to leave the kids with a parting summer bicycling message.

“Make sure you make eye contact with car drivers before crossing the street,” said Steinhoff. Carman agreed. It’s generally good advice to always ride with a buddy in case you fall or need someone to call for help.”

Spangdahlem firefighters train D&RFS counterparts on F-16, hydrazine emergency procedures

Courtesy Photo | RAF LOSSIEMOUTH, Scotland -- U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph Horocofsky, 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Protection station chief, stands with members of the Defence Fire Rescue team at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland. Horocofsky and another 52nd CES firefighter conducted specialized training for the RAF Lossiemouth crews ahead of exercise Formidable Shield, currently underway at the base. The training covered the unique aspects of dealing with the F-16 Fighting Falcon during a ground emergency. (Courtesy photo)

RAF LOSSIEMOUTH, SCT, UNITED KINGDOM
05.09.2019
Story by Master Sgt. Austin May
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs 

RAF LOSSIEMOUTH, Scotland – Firefighters from the 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, recently trained 25 of their Defence Fire & Rescue service and Royal Air Force counterparts on emergency procedures ahead of exercise Formidable Shield.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph Horocofsky, 52nd CES Fire Protection station chief, and Airman Samuel Lofton, 52nd CES firefighter, refreshed the local first responders on response techniques specific to the F-16 Fighting Falcon, particularly the safe handling of hydrazine.

Hydrazine is a chemical used in the F-16 as a way to restart the aircraft’s jet engine in an emergency, and can be hazardous in the event of a fire or leak. In addition to the unique procedures involving the chemical, the firefighters went over the shutdown and aircrew egress for the aircraft.

The squadrons at RAF Lossiemouth fly the Eurofighter Typhoon. According to Horocofsky, the Typhoon and the Fighting Falcon have similarities, but the shutdown procedures – as well as the potential for added complications with the hydrazine – warranted the training.

“RAF Lossiemouth only sees F-16s a few times a year, so our purpose here is to train the local firefighters and act as a liaison for the incident commander in the event of an emergency,” Horocofsky said. “We brought them out to walk around and see the F-16 close up, and a few were allowed to access the cockpit and walked through the shutdown procedure.”

The firefighters from Spangdahlem taught each RAF Lossiemouth fire department shift in three-hour instruction blocks, totaling 12 hours. The briefings were well-received by the RAF and Ministry of Defence firefighters, and was seen as more specialized than the standardized hydrazine training they usually get.

“There were two parts to the training: theoretical and practical,” said Defence Fire Rescue watch manager James Ward. “It was a bit more in-depth, and was a better briefing because it was tailored specifically for firefighters.”

Ward said the training is highly beneficial because it allowed the RAF firefighters a first-hand look at any updated procedures, and for some it was a career first.

“It’s good for the RAF firefighters to get this experience,” he said. “A lot of the younger guys have never even seen an F-16, so it’s nice to be able to get out and get hands-on training so the first time they’re seeing it isn’t in an emergency.”

Ward said while the majority of the emergency procedures used by the Defence Fire Rescue crews mirror the U.S. Air Force’s, small changes – such as hand signals used between rescue crews and pilots – are used to eliminate confusion during a rescue.

“It’s helpful to have a refresher on those,” he said.

With safety as the number one concern for all involved in Formidable Shield, Ward says he and his crews are appreciative of the training, and are ready for any emergency that could arise.

“I am 100 percent confident in our ability to respond,” he said.

Formidable Shield is a U.S.-led exercise, conducted by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO. The purpose of the training is to improve allied interoperability in a live-fire integrated air and missile defense exercise.

Nine nations are participating with ships and aircraft, including Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Both Belgium and Germany are supporting the exercise as well.

U.S Army Soldiers compete in Bulgarian ‘strong man’ competition

(From back row left to right) Spc. Chad Morgan a military firefighter with the 524th Engineer Detachment, Spc. Rene Gonzalez, a military firefighter with the 524th Engineer Detachment, Spc. Jocelyn Zamora a military policeman with the 313th Military Police Detachment, Staff Sgt. Michael Rowan, a military policeman with the 313th Military Police Detachment, and Cpl. Dillon Moran (Front), a cavalry scout with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1th Infantry Division, group together for a photo at the top of a mountain near Sliven, Bulgaria, May 6, 2019. Soldiers from the Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria participated in the Haiduk Gathering, a competition that includes carrying a 95-pound jug of water up a mountain, rock throwing, knife throwing and wrestling. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Valetski)

SLIVEN, BULGARIA
05.06.2019
Story by Spc. Ethan Valetski
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   
 Subscribe 24

SLIVEN, Bulgaria – Without a trail to follow, and a 95-pound jug of water on each of their backs, five U.S. Soldiers hiked up the steep Bulgarian mountain.

Soldiers on rotation at the Novo Selo Training Area followed in the footsteps of Hadji Dimitar, a Bulgarian revolutionary who scaled a mountain with 43 liters of wine (95 pounds) to quench the thirst of his unit.

“In my 11 years in the Army, this might have been the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Rowan, a military policeman with the 313th Military Police Detachment. “To train up for this I had some heavy dumbbells I would place on my shoulders and try to balance them for long distances. The problem is, when I put that jug on my back, it was a completely different monster. I really think the only way to train for something like this is to do it over and over again.”

Balancing the 95-pound jug on their backs was only one part of the challenge; the other was the difficult two miles up the mountain.

“The trail is somewhat designated, but very loosely,” said Cpl. Dillon Moran, a cavalry scout with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. “They give you a start point and an end point and just tell you to get up the mountain. It’s rocky, slippery, and I was scrambling up these rock faces and hills, just doing everything I can to get up that mountain. Once I was reaching the last couple hundred meters, I could hear the cheering in the distance.”

Once the Soldiers reached the top, there were more challenges waiting for them, such as knife throwing, rock throwing and wrestling. The festivities ended with a feast of lamb, vegetables and wine.

“I felt really embraced by them when I got to the top,” Moran said. “This is their history, and for them to allow us to be a part of it was really unforgettable.”

Staff Sgt. Michael Rowan, (second from left) and Spc. Jocelyn Zamora, both military policemen with the 313th Military Police Detachment, start their journey up a mountain alongside Spc. Chad Morgan (right), a military firefighter with the 524th Engineer Detachment, May 6, 2019, near Sliven, Bulgaria. Soldiers from the Novo Selo Training Area participated in the Haiduk Gathering, a competition that includes carrying a 95-pound jug of water up a mountain, rock throwing, knife throwing and wrestling. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Valetski)

Spc. Chad Morgan, a military firefighter with the 524th Engineer Detachment, wrestles a Bulgarian national near Sliven, Bulgaria, May 6, 2019. Soldiers from the Novo Selo Training Area participated in the Haiduk Gathering, a competition that includes carrying a 95-pound jug of water up a mountain, rock throwing, knife throwing and wrestling. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Valetski)

Staff Sgt. Michael Ginikos from The 121st Air Refueling Wing 2018 ANG Firefighter of the Year.

COLUMBUS, OH, UNITED STATES
05.05.2019
Photo by Tech. Sgt. James Courtright
121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs 

Staff Sgt. Michael Ginikos from The 121st Air Refueling Wing Fire Department stands for a portrait 5 May, 2019, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio. Ginikos is the 2018 Chief Albet Fitzpatrick Award winner for The Air National Guard Firefighter of the Year. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. James Courtright)