Handling emergencies one crisis at a time

Photo By Staff Sgt. Alexandra Alexandra Longfellow | PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – Tech. Sgt. Cody West, second to left, 21st Civil Engineering Squadron emergency management operations non-commissioned officer-in-charge, teaches his students how to decontaminate during a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive class Aug. 22, 2019 at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. There are four phases that emergency management specialists are trained for: prepare, respond, mitigate and recover. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexandra M. Longfellow)

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, CO, UNITED STATES
08.27.2019
Story by Staff Sgt. AlexandraAlexandra Longfellow
21st Space Wing Public Affairs 

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – When disaster strikes, the Air force divides into two categories — those who need help, and those who provide help.

Air Force emergency management specialists are among those who provide help. Their mission is to prepare, plan, train, educate and equip Air Force personnel to respond to, maintain mission capability during and recover from crisis situations. Those situations can include major accidents, natural disasters, weapons of mass destruction and wartime chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive attacks.

The section conducts several types of EM training: CBRN survival skills and emergency operations center procedures, as well as unit EM representative and unit control center requirements.

“Emergency management wears three different hats: emergency management, hazmat technician and CBRN,” said Staff Sgt. Zachary Griffin, 21st Civil Engineering Squadron emergency management operations noncommissioned officer in charge.

Emergency management specialists are considered a kind of emergency responder, but do not get them confused with first responders such as medical, police and fire department personnel.

“If there seems to be some type of hazmat or chemical-related incident, the first responders won’t hesitate to call us to identify the material,” Griffin said.

There are four phases that emergency management specialists are trained for: prepare, respond, mitigate and recover.

“We develop contingency plans for dealing with emergencies and establishing pre-determined mobility, response and recovery procedures that can minimize causalities and damage, and help those affected by disaster,” Griffin said.

CBRN is the most common affiliation with EM.

“Everyone typically knows us for CBRN and only see us when they are due,” Griffin said. “I enjoy this part of my job. We all need the basic knowledge of CBRN.”

Griffin was recently an instructor at Silver Flag at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, but his time there was cut short due to Hurricane Michael, which made landfall on October 10, 2018.

“I love teaching,” Griffin said. “With the knowledge I gained during my past deployments, I am able to help people. I appreciate the lightbulb moments with the students during class when they finally understand something that I am teaching.”

Anyone with readiness and emergency management questions or concerns should call 719-556-4134.

USS Makin Island conducts crash training

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES
08.05.2019
Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Colby Mothershead
USS Makin Island (LHD 8) 

SAN DIEGO (Aug. 5, 2019) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Christopher Paparigopoulos stands by, in his protective firefighting proximity suit, awaiting his turn to participate in a crash and salvage training exercise onboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The ship’s crash and salvage team trains on rescue recoveries in order to be ready to respond in the event of a casualty. Makin Island, homeported in San Diego, is conducting a depot-level maintenance availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Colby A. Mothershead)


SAN DIEGO (Aug. 5, 2019) Airman recruit Isaiah Robinson (left) and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Christopher Paparigopoulos (right) simulate finding a hot spot with a thermal imaging camera during a crash and salvage training evolution onboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The ship’s crash and salvage team trains on rescue recoveries in order to be ready to respond in the event of a casualty. Makin Island, homeported in San Diego, is conducting a depot-level maintenance availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Colby A. Mothershead)



SAN DIEGO (Aug. 5, 2019) Airman Alex Schrock (left) and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Christopher Paparigopoulos (right) prepare to lift an injured shipmate to safety during a simulated crash and salvage training evolution onboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The ship’s crash and salvage team trains on rescue recoveries in order to be ready to respond in the event of a casualty. Makin Island, homeported in San Diego, is conducting a depot-level maintenance availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Colby A. Mothershead)



SAN DIEGO (Aug. 5, 2019) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Christopher Paparigopoulos conducts crash and salvage training onboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The ship’s crash and salvage team trains on rescue recoveries in order to be ready to respond in the event of a casualty. Makin Island, homeported in San Diego, is conducting a depot-level maintenance availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Colby A. Mothershead)



SAN DIEGO (Aug. 5, 2019) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Christopher Paparigopoulos returns to his shop at the conclusion of a crash and salvage training evolution onboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The ship’s crash and salvage team trains on rescue recoveries in order to be ready to respond in the event of a casualty. Makin Island, homeported in San Diego, is conducting a depot-level maintenance availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Colby A. Mothershead)

The crash and salvage team stand watch on the flight deck

ATLANTIC OCEAN
08.22.2019
Photo by Seaman Jarrod Schad
USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) 

U.S. Sailors assigned to the crash and salvage team stand watch on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 22, 2019. The John C. Stennis is underway conducting routine operations in support of Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jarrod A. Schad)


U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jarrod Schad, from Lake Elmo, Minnesota, takes photos on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 22, 2019. The John C. Stennis is underway conducting routine operations in support of Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Skyler Okerman)

407th ECES builds joint firefighting foundation during airfield exercise

Photo By Senior Airman Lane Plummer | Firefighters from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron await an after-action report meeting following an airfield exercise at Ahmed al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, Aug. 16, 2019. After training, firefighters conduct a meeting to discuss how the exercise went and how, if they can, to improve on the next instance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Lane T. Plummer)

KUWAIT
08.23.2019
Story by Senior Airman Lane Plummer
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs 

The exercise was an opportunity for service members from multiple branches to cooperate on one of the most intense scenarios a firefighter could be called for: an aircraft on fire on the flightline.

“We had a simulated MV-22 engine fire,” said U.S. Marine Sgt. Casey Madigan, Marine Wing Support Detachment 473rd Expeditionary fire and rescue. “We arrived on scene, the crash truck put out the fire in the engine. Our rescue crew brought out five casualties and we provided them [simulated] medical care.”

Several emergency service vehicles arrived on-scene and simulated putting out the fire in the MV-22 Osprey then providing immediate medical care to the victims. Firefighters and medical personnel involved included Airmen, Marines and Sailors.

“Working with all branches in the military gets us familiar with protocol procedures that everybody does with our actions and how we handle things on-scene,” Madigan said. “It really helps with real-world scenarios.”

In order to accurately recreate this realism, it required equipment, aircraft vehicular support that the fire station was able to provide.

“We use all our crash vehicles like a video game,” said Tech Sgt. Aaron Alcaraz, 407th ECES fire station captain, deployed from the Illinois Air National Guard’s 182nd Airlift Wing at Peoria, IL. “They have joysticks we use to physically fight the fire before transitioning to exterior operations with traditional handlines and fire hoses.”

All-in-all, the exercise concluded with a lot of positives for all members to take and learn from.

“People come from all different parts of the country,” Alcaraz said. “We have to take all of them and bring them into one cohesive fire department, and the only way to do that is to train like we did today.”

An Air Force firefighter is prepared to operate in unusual environments compared to those on the outside, and thanks to successful training exercises, those environments stay preserved and safe.

“Every firefighter joins to be hands-on,” Alcaraz said. “We’re all hands-on in everything we do. None of us like sitting behind a desk staring at a PowerPoint presentation all day. As long as we’re capable of doing exercises, that’s what we do. We try to come up with as many scenarios as we can to accomplish this.”

Firefighters from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron prepare to enter an MV-22 Osprey during an airfield exercise at Ahmed al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, Aug. 16, 2019. The exercise was an opportunity for service members from multiple branches to cooperate on one of the most intense scenarios a firefighter could be called for: an aircraft on fire on the flightline. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mozer O. Da Cunha)


A firefighter with the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron remove a simulated casualty from an MV-22 Osprey during an airfield exercise at Ahmed al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, Aug. 16, 2019. The exercise was an opportunity for service members from multiple branches to cooperate on one of the most intense scenarios a firefighter could be called for: an aircraft on fire on the flightline. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mozer O. Da Cunha)


U.S. military service members participate in an airfield exercise at Ahmed al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, Aug. 16, 2019. The exercise was an opportunity for service members from multiple branches to cooperate on one of the most intense scenarios a firefighter could be called for: an aircraft on fire on the flightline. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Lane T. Plummer)


Tech. Sgt. Aaron Alcaraz, 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron fire station captain, communicates with firefighters during an airfield exercise at Ahmed al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, Aug. 16, 2019. Several emergency service vehicles arrived on-scene and simulated putting out the fire in the MV-22 Osprey then providing immediate medical care to the victims. Firefighters and medical personnel involved included Airmen, Marines and Sailors. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Lane T. Plummer)


Firefighters from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron spray a MV-22 Osprey with water during an airfield exercise at Ahmed al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, Aug. 16, 2019. The exercise was an opportunity for service members from multiple branches to cooperate on one of the most intense scenarios a firefighter could be called for: an aircraft on fire on the flightline. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mozer O. Da Cunha)

25 CENTRAL AMERICAN FIREFIGHTERS GRADUATE FROM U.S. AIR FORCE LED EXERCISE

Joint Task Force-Bravo, 612th Air Squadron firefighters trained with 25 firefighters from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize and Costa Rica at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras during Central America Sharing Mutual Operational Knowledge and Experiences (CENTAM SMOKE), a biannual exercise held on base, August 19 - 23. Five representatives from each Central American nation received basic training in safety practices, personal protection equipment, structural and wildland fires, aircraft fires, vehicle extrication and helicopter familiarization. Participants pose for a photo at the Soto Cano Fire Department, August 23, 2019.

COMAYAGUA, HONDURAS
08.23.2019
Story by Maria Pinel
Joint Task Force Bravo 

Joint Task Force-Bravo, 612th Air Squadron firefighters trained with 25 firefighters from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize and Costa Rica at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras during Central America Sharing Mutual Operational Knowledge and Experiences (CENTAM SMOKE), a biannual exercise held on base, August 19 - 23.

Five representatives from each Central American nation received basic training in safety practices, personal protection equipment, structural and wildland fires, aircraft fires, vehicle extrication and helicopter familiarization.

During the multinational event, firefighters had the opportunity to work as a team and establish strong bonds of camaraderie and support among partner nations.

"While the purpose of CENTAM SMOKE aims to achieve many objectives, I want to reinforce the power of our strong partnerships and the special responsibility of emergency responders," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Hilburn Caulder, JTF-B deputy commander.

Soto Cano Air Base offers an ideal space for this type of training. Throughout the week, the Central American firefighters experienced different scenarios and tests, divided into multinational teams, and rotated through the Mobile Aircraft Fire Training at the Soto Cano flight line, followed by live-structural fires, vehicle rescue training and wildland fire practices.

“Wake up every day with that desire to be just a little bit better than you were the day before,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas Washburn, 612 ABS commander, as advice to all participants during his closing remarks. “Train your mind, train your body, train your team, so when the unexpected happens and chaos and uncertainty surround you, you can answer the call.”

The exercise was designed to create and strengthen professional and personal bonds by creating environments where the multinational firefighters face challenges and overcome the obstacles together.

“CENTAM SMOKE enabled us to ignite the engine of response with those who are strangers on Monday to becoming lifesaving trusted partners today,” said Caulder.
Since 2007, U.S. Air Force firefighters have provided fire and rescue training that has helped develop regional capabilities and interoperability. After completing a week of challenging activities, participants return to their nations with new knowledge that they can put into practice and transmit to their home stations, using this opportunity as an effective-force multiplier.

“We are humbled by the 1,200 partner nation firefighting professionals who have trained over the years at CENTAM SMOKE, and prepared themselves to not run away from danger, but to run into danger. You represent the courage and bond of the brothers and sister of emergency response,” said Caulder.

Joint Task Force-Bravo, 612th Air Squadron firefighters trained with 25 firefighters from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize and Costa Rica at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras during Central America Sharing Mutual Operational Knowledge and Experiences (CENTAM SMOKE), a biannual exercise held on base, August 19 - 23. Firefighters participate in aircraft fire training, August 21, 2019.