Crash and Salvage

ATLANTIC OCEAN
01.07.2024
Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nolan Pennington 
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)        

Sailors assigned to the air department of the world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) operate an A/S32AP-25 firefighting vehicle on the flight deck, Jan. 7, 2024. The U.S. maintains forward-deployed, ready, and postured forces to deter aggression and support security and stability around the world. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nolan Pennington)

Fired up for Success: A Young Firefighter's Journey

Airman 1st Class Stephen Warren, a firefighter with the 142nd Civil Engineer Squadron, poses next to a fire engine at Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore., November 5, 2023. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Yuki Klein)

PORTLAND AIR GUARD STATION, OR, UNITED STATES
12.14.2023
Story by Airman 1st Class Yuki Klein 
142nd Wing  

Shining a light on the diverse paths to happiness and success, it becomes evident that college is not the exclusive route to professional success.

Airman 1st Class Stephen Warren, a firefighter in the 142nd Wing Civil Engineering squadron, recognized this fact while he was still in high school.

The conventional college route just didn’t align with his future aspirations, Warren explained.
“I wanted to do something more hands-on. Something that would give me life experience and did not require me to be in an office all day,” said Warren.

Joining the Air National Guard gave him the opportunity to get to work in a physically active role and acquire a tactical skill set.

The Air National Guard was a great option for Warren because it offered opportunities for career growth, but also presented experiences like his first Temporary Duty Assignment (TDY) in Jacksonville, Arkansas which took place earlier this year.

Though it was initially hard to integrate himself into the close-knit fire station, working with those same people became his fondest memory of the mission.

“You have to prove yourself that you can do the job because they have to trust you with their life when you go into a fire,” said Warren. “The rewarding part of the TDY was how much experience I gained through such a short amount of time and the amount that those guys poured into me with me not even being gained by their unit."

One of Warren's most memorable experiences while TDY was participating in natural disaster relief, where he witnessed the remarkable professionalism and efficiency of the crew in the face of adversity.

“There was a lot of adrenaline running and then when I was selected to go out on one of the engines, blood started pumping, and I started thinking about all the things that needed to happen when we got out there,” said Warren. “Seeing the damage that the tornado caused was pretty gnarly and it was really impressive watching the rest of the crew handle it so professionally and calmly.”

In addition to his military service, Warren is currently pursuing an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification and participates in training that assists in his journey as a firefighter during off-duty hours.

While continuing in his role as a firefighter for the Oregon Air National Guard, he would also like to pursue a career in firefighting on the civilian side.
“That's been my longtime goal, is being a firefighter here in the local Portland metro area,” added Warren.

When Warren is not wearing the uniform, he is heavily involved in his local church community as a youth staff member. Drawing from his own experience with mentors during high school, he is committed to providing guidance and support to the next generation.

Warren’s journey reflects a different avenue available for personal and professional growth outside a traditional academic trajectory. His dedication to service, continuous learning, and community involvement showcases that success is not confined to a classroom, but can be found in diverse landscapes of passion and purpose.

Army depot leads way in transitioning to safer firefighting foam

Fire Capt. Scott McGonigal, Letterkenny Army Depot, and Firefighter Brandon Staley, LEAD, pose next to one of the three engines transitioned to the updated military specifications for land and maritime firefighting agent, fluorine-free foam at Letterkenny Army Depot Dec. 19, 2023.

CHAMBERSBURG, PA, UNITED STATES
01.10.2024
Story by Dorie Heyer 
Letterkenny Army Depot  

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Letterkenny Army Depot made considerable strides in supporting the Army’s three-pronged approach to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS.
In line with the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020, which prohibits the use of fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, at any military installation after Oct. 1, 2024, LEAD Fire and Emergency Services transitioned all three of their engines to the updated military specifications for land and maritime firefighting agent, fluorine-free foam, known as FFF.

Under the direction of Fire Chief Dave McGlynn and the supervision of Fire Capt. Scott McGonigal, the LEAD Fire and Emergency Services team successfully transitioned Engine 13-1 with a 50-gallon capacity, and Engines 13-2 and 13-3 with 30-gallon capacities each, Dec. 12 – 13, 2023.

“This achievement not only underscores the Army’s commitment to environmental stewardship and public health but also positions Letterkenny Army Depot and its Fire and Emergency Services team as a benchmark in military environmental initiatives,” McGlynn said. “Our success in transitioning to PFAS-free firefighting solutions exemplifies the Army’s role as a leader in sustainable and health-conscious practices.”

As LEAD embarks on supporting the Army’s Organic Industrial Base 15-year Modernization Implementation Plan, environmental and operational initiatives such as the fluorine-free foam transition postures LEAD Fire and Emergency Services to support modernization efforts.

“This transition will ensure that LEAD Fire and Emergency Services is properly equipped to offer safer protection to the depot during the modernization and construction phase,” McGlynn remarked. “In addition, this will help us continue to offer our service to the depot and surrounding community in a safer way.”

Letterkenny’s Fire and Emergency Services department services the entire installation and supports the Franklin County community through mutual aid agreements.

“The fact that this foam is PFAS-free ensures that we can deliver safer foam in our emergency response,” McGlynn stated. “Through Franklin County Fire Chief’s Association meetings, I’ve learned that Franklin County is also in the process of transitioning the foam on apparatuses throughout the county.”
The LEAD Fire and Emergency Services team worked in close coordination with the Directorate of Public Works and the Environmental Division to safely transfer and dispose of the old fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam.

“This transition was successfully accomplished through the mutual partnership and support from the entire Letterkenny team,” McGlynn said. “As in everything, communication is the key to success. This particular effort was a success because of the relationships and good communication between LEAD, Army Materiel Command and Aviation and Missile Command.”

LEAD and the Army are collaborating on a comprehensive assessment of areas where PFAS-containing chemicals were used and stored on-post. The results of this assessment and information gathered from groundwater sampling, performed in cooperation with local residents, will be used to develop an effective strategy to remediate the effects of past discharges.

“Removing all the fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam from Letterkenny ensures that a potential source of PFAS is eliminated,” stated Amy Renshaw, a physical scientist and installation restoration program manager and BRAC environmental coordinator for LEAD. “This transition greatly supports our assessment and helps ensure the success of the PFAS removal efforts.”

Limited sampling conducted during an onsite assessment at Letterkenny in 2021 found that locations related to past fire training with potential releases showed elevated PFOA/PFOS concentrations. The assessment led Letterkenny to seek to test off-post drinking water wells that could potentially be affected due to depot operations.

In July 2022, the U.S. Army conducted testing of 20 drinking water wells on private properties, including two community wells serving multiple residences, near the depot and found zero wells with concentrations that exceed 70 parts per trillion, the Environmental Protection Agency’s former lifetime health advisory level.

In a continued effort to determine potentially affected areas, Letterkenny is preparing to expand the evaluation area later this year. The Army will be contacting owners of properties adjacent to the depot to seek permission to test the quality of drinking water in wells. These tests will help assess if past industrial operations have potentially impacted the wells’ water.
The Army prohibits the use of AFFF for maintenance, testing and training on its installations and only uses AFFF for emergency responses. Now that the transition has occurred, LEAD will no longer utilize AFFF for emergency response.

“Firefighting is already an inherently dangerous job, and we felt it was vitally important to expedite this process once given the opportunity. The hope is to start a trend to get the rest of fire and emergency services to remove and replace theirs sooner than later,” McGlynn shared. “The successful replacement of PFAS-containing AFFF at Letterkenny Army Depot represents a significant stride toward a safer, more environmentally responsible military. It sets a precedent for other installations and services, highlighting the feasibility and urgency of transitioning to PFAS-free alternatives for a healthier and safer future.”

Letterkenny Army Depot is the Army’s premier professional organic maintenance facility that provides overhaul, repair and modifications for tactical missile air defense and space systems, electric power generation equipment and various military vehicles, support systems and protection programs. LEAD is a subordinate of U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, and is the Air and Missile Defense and Long Range Precision Fires depot, supporting systems for the Department of Defense, foreign partners and industry. Letterkenny Army Depot was established in 1942 and is a government-owned and -operated industrial installation located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

For more information about LEAD, visit https://www.letterkenny.army.mil/ 
Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LetterkennyArmyDepot 
Find us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/letterkenny-army-depot 
Find us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lead_army_depot
Find us on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/LEAD_Army_Depot 

USAG Benelux Spotlight: Cédric Reygaerts

Cédric Reygaerts, USAG Benelux fire inspector, stands with Belgian elementary school children during an educational visit to learn about emergency services on Chièvres Air Base, Oct. 16, 2021. (U.S. Army photo by Libby Weiler)

CHIEVRES, WHT, BELGIUM
01.10.2024
Story by Libby Weiler 
U.S. Army Garrison Benelux  

[Editor’s Note: In this series, we are shining a light on our workforce in and around the Benelux. This Spotlight is on Cédric Reygaerts, fire inspector for U.S. Army Garrison Benelux, who has found a way to merge his work life and personal life together to achieve one mission – taking care of others.] 

CHIEVRES, Belgium – Reygaerts, fire inspector for USAG Benelux, whether on the job or volunteering in the community has countless years of experience helping others.
Before his career as a host nation employee, Reygaerts worked as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic in the local Belgian community.
“Since I was 20 years old, I was doing firefighting,” said Reygaerts. “With the system of on call I wouldn’t be available [while at work] so I had to stop.”
After 20 years of volunteering as a firefighter in the Belgian community and 12 years as a paramedic, Reygaerts took his skills to USAG Benelux.

"In the job you learn that you don’t do it for the money, you do it, in fact, for the people,” said Reygaerts.

Helping people is still what he finds himself doing at the garrison. Whether he’s teaching young children at SHAPE International School about fire prevention techniques or working closely with the Corps of Engineers and the local Zaventem fire chief on future developments at Sterrebeek Annex in Brussels, he’s helping to take care of us in the Benelux.
Because of his unique background in the local community, Reygaerts finds himself heavily involved in the training of local firefighters now.
“I go to all the special events. I help them with meetings and special cases. I like to see how we can update our procedures.”

Working for the U.S. Army has also helped him expand the expertise that he can share with others.
“We always take the most stringent regulation,” said Reygaerts. “On USAG we work with Belgian regulations, Army regulations, and U.S. regulations.”

Because of this unique skill set he’s highly sought after as an expert in his field.
Reygaerts works regularly with the U.S. Air Force on Chièvres Air Base helping with firefighter trainings and cross-cultural engagements where the local Belgian fire departments are brought on base. His hope for the future is to include more coordination with host nation fire departments.

“Sometimes I ask host nation [fire] to come by and do a combined exercise,” said Reygaerts. “It helps because they have their own intervention techniques, and we have our own; we learn from each other.”
Although his day-to-day tasks can change in an instant if an emergency were to arise, Reygaerts will always be found lending a helping hand in the Benelux community.

This Spotlight series will continue to tell the stories of our workforce in and around the Benelux. We are the Army’s home - we are IMCOM.

Yokosuka Fire Engine Parade

 YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN
01.07.2024
Photo by Taylor Ardito 
Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka  

YOKOSUKA, Japan (January 7, 2024) - Yokoska city officials salute a ladder truck from Commander, Navy Region Japan (CNRJ) Fire & Emergency Services during the Yokosuka Fire Engine Parade. For more than 75 years, Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families. (U.S. Navy photo by Taylor Ardito)

A driver assigned to Commander, Navy Region Japan (CNRJ) Fire & Emergency Services salutes the crowd during the Yokosuka Fire Engine Parade. For more than 75 years, Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families. (U.S. Navy photo by Taylor Ardito)