Photo By Tech. Sgt. Micaiah Anthony | U.S. Marine Corps firefighters from Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 and Royal Thai...... read more read more
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Flames eat away at the dented fuselage of an old aircraft as a group of firefighters quickly sweep their path towards the growing fire with water. The team works seamlessly, and in a matter of seconds, the blaze is extinguished and smoke slowly dissipates.
U.S. Marine Corps firefighters from the Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 and Royal Thai Navy firefighters combined forces to conduct bilateral training at U-Tapao International Airport, Ban Chang district, Rayong province, Thailand, Feb. 20, 2018, during Exercise Cobra Gold 2018. The training provided firefighters from MWSS 172 a unique opportunity to get hands-on training by cutting through the fuselage of aircraft in the bone yard at U-Tapao.
“Today we conducted extraction training,” said Gunnery Sgt. Justin Hansen, a native of Montague, Mich., senior enlisted advisor for MWSS 172 Airfield Operations. “We used our saws and hydraulic tools to make entry into an aircraft and simulate search and rescue operations.”
After extraction training, the combined firefighting team conducted a live burn to simulate an aircraft crash. The bilateral training enabled firefighters an in-depth look at how their counterparts operate.
“We are in an expeditionary environment, so teaching them the equipment we have and learning their equipment, we can work together through the language barriers if there is an emergency,” Hansen said. “We may not be able to communicate verbally but since we’ve done the training, we can still use body language and signals to work together and get the job done.”
Over the course of time, the U.S. and Thailand have bolstered their alliance through 37 years of Cobra Gold exercises.
“Cobra Gold really strengthens the relationship between partner nations, in the event we have to work together in the future,” said Capt. Paulo Simoes from New Bedford, Mass., MWSS 172 Airfield Operations company commander. “This training provides the foundation and building blocks that we can go off of in a real-world scenario.”
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2018 00:30 |
| Story ID: | 267029 |
| Location: | TH |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Cobra Gold 18: Allied firefighters enhance interoperability through training, by TSgt Micaiah Anthony, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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