Shaw fire, emergency services awarded reaccreditation

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC, UNITED STATES
08.20.2019
Story by Senior Airman Kathryn Reaves
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs 

The 20th Civil Engineer Squadron fire and emergency services flight earned reaccreditation following a Commission on Fire Accreditation International hearing, Aug. 7-9.

Michael Davis, 20th CES fire inspector and accreditation manager, and Hagenbuch led the initiative with the department’s primary goal of reducing property and life loss as well as promoting employee safety.

The accreditation is the second the flight has earned and is the culmination of a five year self-assessment of 86 core competencies and 252 performance indicators in addition to a peer assessment.

According to a release from the department, “The peer assessors conducted an out brief and highlighted the training program led by Tech. Sgt. Larry Diaz, fire prevention program led by Master Sgt. David Hagenbuch and logistic program led by Mr. Gregory Farley. (They) expressed that the training program is the best they have ever seen and are looking at taking lessons learned back to their own departments.”

The Center for Public Safety Excellence website lists additional benefits of working for, achieving and maintaining accreditation including establishing a culture of continuous improvement, communicating leadership philosophies and providing tangible data.

“The agency’s achievement of Accredited Agency status demonstrates the commitment of the agency to provide the highest quality of service to our community,” said Davis. “This internal process allows us to remain honest with ourselves on what we need to do in order to be the best department possible.”

The department also used the process to locate areas for improvement and create a plan for the future as the team begins another five-year reaccreditation process.

Air National Guard and State Partnership Program firefighters fight fires together at Northern Strike 19

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Lealan Buehrer | Firefighters from the Michigan Air National Guard and Estonian, Latvian and Bulgarian air forces battle a controlled burn aircraft fire at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Mich., July 22, 2019. JP-8, a fuel used in U.S. military aircraft, burns at between 800 and 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Northern Strike 19 is a National Guard Bureau-sponsored exercise uniting service members from more than 20 states, multiple service branches and numerous coalition countries during the last two weeks of July 2019 at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, both located in northern Michigan and operated by the Michigan National Guard. The accredited Joint National Training Capability exercise demonstrates the Michigan National Guard’s ability to provide accessible, readiness-building opportunities for military units from all service branches to achieve and sustain proficiency in conducting mission command, air, sea and ground maneuver integration, together with the synchronization of fires in a joint, multinational, decisive action environment. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Lealan Buehrer)

ALPENA, MI, UNITED STATES
07.30.2019
Story by 1st Lt. Andrew Layton
110th Wing 

ALPENA, Mich. – Sirens blaze in the night as a first responder vehicle speeds toward the hot orange glow. In this live-fire training exercise, firefighters step from the truck with helmets, Nomex bunker gear, and self-contained breathing apparatuses already in place. They take their positions and prepare for a heated battle against the flames.

With faces and features obscured under the weight of their gear, the firefighters are almost indistinguishable as humans. Like a mechanized assembly, they function together as a single, well-trained unit. One cannot identify that beneath the gear, their diversity transcends race, gender, and nationality.

“As firefighters, we all share the same career field and we all share the same passion for our work – that makes it easy for us to come together,” says Master Sgt. Terrence Jones of the 164th Airlift Wing, Tennessee Air National Guard. “We may not speak the same native language, but we all have something in common as fire fighters.”

Jones is speaking about the fire protection team assembled at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan, for Northern Strike 19. Held July 22 - Aug. 2 with more than 6,000 participants, Northern Strike is the Department of Defense’s largest annual joint, reserve component readiness exercise. For the month of July, the Alpena CRTC fire department is being augmented with nine firefighters from Latvia, two from Bulgaria, and two from Estonia. Also participating in Northern Strike 19 at Alpena CRTC are firefighters from the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, the 110th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard, and Jones’ unit from Tennessee. They come together to not only train, but to increase real-world first responder capability during the exercise’s uptick in operations.

Michigan and Latvia share a strong bond under the U.S. National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program, which pairs the National Guard entities of a U.S. state with the national armed forces of a partner nation to forge mutual defense capability and cross-cultural relationships. Tennessee and Bulgaria have a similar cooperation under the SPP. Through events like Northern Strike 19, these partnerships continue to grow stronger throughout the Air National Guard’s firefighting community as shared experiences lead to mutual trust and interoperability.

After attending Northern Strike in 2018, Master Sgt. Kevin Ziehr, a firefighter with the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, was inspired to initiate a cooperation with military firefighters from Hungary, the Ohio National Guard’s partner country.

“Currently, we have two master sergeants from our fire department at the 180th over in Hungary, doing the exact thing we’re doing here at Alpena,” Ziehr said. “That is, training on different types of coalition aircraft with different types of firefighting equipment – they’ve been having just as good a time learning and passing on knowledge over there.”

Ziehr points out that engaging with multinational counterparts is excellent preparation for work in a deployed setting where language and cultural barriers may present challenges to the mission. Coalition firefighters at Northern Strike 19 agree that establishing relationships in advance of potential crisis situation leads to a more ready and capable response force.

“We have done a lot of exercises together and all of the firefighters here are amazing people,” said Pvt. Lyubomir Martinov, a firefighter assigned to Vrazhdebna Air Base, Bulgaria. “It is always good because you meet different types of people. We’re helping each other, we’re understanding more. It’s interesting for us.”

Though Northern Strike 19 is the capstone of the coalition firefighters’ time in Michigan, their schedule has been packed with numerous high-value training opportunities since arriving early in the month. Beginning July 6th, the coalition firefighters participated in an incident command course staged under the National Defense Authorization Act 16 (NDAA 16), section 1251, which authorizes multilateral military-to-military training events between certain North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries. By the time they return to their home countries, they will also have participated in aircraft familiarization events, high/low-angle rescue training, a mass-casualty response exercise, night and day live-fire burns, vehicle rescue, and confined spaces rescue training.

Somehow, the multinational group finds time for teambuilding events outside of work, including day trips to Detroit and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

“We are team-building all the time,” said Pfc. Ilza Jansone, a firefighter assigned at Lielvarde Air Base, Latvia. “We appreciate all that our American hosts do for us to take us places and show us new things. It’s a new experience and I really appreciate the opportunity to be here.”

Jansone is the first female fire fighter in Latvia’s National Armed Forces.

Though this Jansone’s first trip to Michigan, some of the coalition firefighters have supported multiple Northern Strike exercises. This year marks the third time the multinational incident command course has been held prior to the exercise and Jones says he anticipates even stronger cooperation at Northern Strike between U.S. and international firefighters in coming years.

“I enjoy Northern Strike because of the chance to meet and work with our foreign brothers and sisters,” he said. “It’s just amazing to me because we all come from different places to this exercise and become one.”


Firefighters from the Michigan Air National Guard and Estonian, Latvian and Bulgarian air forces battle a controlled burn aircraft fire at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Mich., July 22, 2019. JP-8, a fuel used in U.S. military aircraft, burns at between 800 and 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

CENTRAL AMERICAN FIREFIGHTERS SHARING OPERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE WITH U.S. COUNTERPARTS

U.S. Air Force firefighters assigned to Joint Task Force Bravo's 612th Air Base Squadron are training alongside 25 firefighters from Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica during a multinational firefighting exercise at Soto Cano Air Base, August 19-23. The Central America Sharing Mutual Operational Knowledge and Experiences exercise (CENTAM SMOKE) takes place twice a year and provides an opportunity for all firefighters to work as a team while learning from each other’s capabilities through strenuous partnership-building challenges.

COMAYAGUA, HONDURAS
08.20.2019
Story by Maria Pinel
Joint Task Force Bravo 

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, HONDURAS – The Joint Task Force-Bravo’s 612th Air Base Squadron will be hosting a multinational firefighting exercise at Soto Cano Air Base, August 19-23, with the participation of 25 firefighters from Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica.

The Central America Sharing Mutual Operational Knowledge and Experiences exercise (CENTAM SMOKE) takes place twice a year and provides an opportunity for all firefighters to work as a team while learning from each other’s capabilities through strenuous partnership-building challenges.

Col. Steven Barry, JTFB commander, welcomed the students on their first day and emphasized the hard work the Air Force firefighters put into the planning, and wished the multinational participants the best during the week to come.

The 612 Fire Department instructors look forward to this intense fire and rescue training every year to develop cooperation skills, as well as improve partner nation firefighting capabilities and their own to maintain regional response capabilities.

“We expect hard work, determination, a ‘never quit’ attitude and their willingness to be open minded to learn how we do our job; same with my guys at the fire department - their open mindedness to understand how our partners work as well,” said Senior Master Sgt. Michael Ott, Fire Chief with the 612. “Sometimes they don’t have the best tools and equipment so we want to learn how they do their job. It benefits us in a situation where we don’t have the ability to get tools and equipment and we are in a place where we have to think outside the box. So it’s really just a shared experience on both sides.”

Training includes safety, personal protective equipment, structural and helicopter live fire evolutions, vehicle extrication, aircraft familiarization and wildland fires. During the initial phases of the training, the firefighters also participate in a combat challenge to evaluate and test their physical condition.

Herberth Gaekl, Soto Cano Fire Inspector, has participated in CENTAM SMOKE since its initiation and spoke on his expectations as the safety instructor.

“I hope their mentality towards their safety and as firefighters has a multiplicative effect towards the rest of their staff when they return to their home stations. I’d like to see participants leave with a smile on their faces and that they have learned,” said Gaekl. .

This training exercise is physically demanding and extremely rewarding, challenging firefighters from across Central America since 2007. The event will conclude with a graduation ceremony Friday, August 23.


U.S. Air Force firefighters assigned to Joint Task Force Bravo's 612th Air Base Squadron are training alongside 25 firefighters from Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica during a multinational firefighting exercise at Soto Cano Air Base, August 19-23. The Central America Sharing Mutual Operational Knowledge and Experiences exercise (CENTAM SMOKE) takes place twice a year and provides an opportunity for all firefighters to work as a team while learning from each other’s capabilities through strenuous partnership-building challenges.

U.S. Air Force firefighters assigned to Joint Task Force Bravo's 612th Air Base Squadron are training alongside 25 firefighters from Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica during a multinational firefighting exercise at Soto Cano Air Base, August 19-23. The Central America Sharing Mutual Operational Knowledge and Experiences exercise (CENTAM SMOKE) takes place twice a year and provides an opportunity for all firefighters to work as a team while learning from each other’s capabilities through strenuous partnership-building challenges.

Ike Ammo Onload

ATLANTIC OCEAN, VA, UNITED STATES
08.13.2019
Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Kotico
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) 

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 13, 2019) Sailors assigned to crash and salvage division aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) observe an MH-60S Sea Hawk, assigned to the "Dusty Dogs" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7, during an ordnance transfer with the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Ike is underway conducting an ammunition onload in preparation for future operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gabriel B. Kotico)

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 13, 2019) An MH-60S Sea Hawk, assigned to the "Dusty Dogs" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7, transfers ordnance to the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) from aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Ike is underway conducting an ammunition onload in preparation for future operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gabriel B. Kotico)

U.S. Army Reserve Firefighters rehearse life-saving procedures at CSTX 86-19-04

Spc. Mikail Greene, from Mobile, Alabama, stands in front of a fire training-tower at CSTX 86-19-04 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin Aug. 1, 2019. The firefighters learned shutdown procedures on the UH-60 Black Hawk, especially with throttles, bottles and batteries, and extrication procedures for members of the flight crew (U.S. Army Reserve Photo by Sgt. Sean Harding)\

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES
08.18.2019
Story by Sgt. Sean Harding
304th Public Affairs Detachment 


FORT MCCOY, Wis. - Citizen-Soldiers and firefighters from the 683rd Engineer Detachment rehearsed life-saving techniques at Combat Support Training Exercise 86-19-04 this August at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.

At Sparta/Fort McCoy Airport, a Pascagoula, Mississippi-based detachment conducted firefighting and operation drills. They started by receiving an emergency call, followed by rehearsing search and rescue, property-saving measures and fire suppression.

“It can wind you,” said Spc. Mikail Greene, from Mobile, Alabama. “But it won't beat you up if you just got your heart into it.”

On Sunday, the detachment trained with flight medics with G Company, 7-158 General Support Aviation Battalion. The firefighters learned shutdown procedures on the UH-60 Black Hawk, especially with throttles, bottles and batteries, and extraction procedures for members of the flight crew.

As U.S. Army Reserve firefighters, accidents involving the UH-60 Black Hawk are one of the most common types of accidents that the 683rd could respond to.

"That would be the task of the firefighter," said Sgt. Hollingsworth.

The training the firefighters received with the flight medics increased their level of readiness.

"We're all prepared at anytime," said Sgt. Crew Chief Roger Hollingsworth. "This greatly enhances our level of preparation to respond to any kind of incident ... or a crash involving these aircraft."

The Army has less than 200 active duty firefighters. The vast majority of the Army's life and property-saving forces are found in the Army Reserve and National Guard.

"We cannot win a fight without our Reserves," said Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Catlett, the 683rd's senior observer/controller. "So we're here today trying to train up our Reserve brethren ... so they're ready to go when that call to serve their nation is sent."

The closeness of the brothers-in-arms became apparent after spending nearly three weeks at Fort McCoy.

"That's your second family," said Spc. Michael Andrews, who is also a civilian firefighter. "You become that close, you spend so much time with those people that they do become your family."


And some Soldiers have relished their time at CSTX.

"I thoroughly enjoy it, every time we come out here," Greene said. "Fort McCoy might not have the best weather, but they have the best training."


Soldiers assigned to the 683rd Engineer Detachment, from Pascagoula, Mississippi, review UH-60 Black Hawk safety information at CSTX 86-19-04 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin Aug. 1, 2019. The firefighters learned shutdown procedures on the UH-60 Black Hawk, especially with throttles, bottles and batteries, and extrication procedures for members of the flight crew. (U.S. Army Reserve Photo by Sgt. Sean Harding).


A member of the 683rd Engineer Detachment reviews UH-60 Black Hawk safety information at CSTX 86-19-04 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, Aug. 1, 2019. The firefighters learned shutdown procedures on the UH-60 Black Hawk, especially with throttles, bottles and batteries, and extrication procedures for members of the flight crew. (U.S. Army Reserve Photo by Sgt. Sean Harding)