MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan — Whether protecting the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing's flightline or the living quarters and support facilities, the firefighters here stand ready 24/7 on base.
Being an air mobility hub with air refueling sorties, cargo planes coming and going with supplies and carrying troops in and out of the base in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the 376th Civil Engineer Squadron's contracted firefighters are a must.
Firefighting personnel here are an essential element to protecting people and assets, and to do so, takes strength, stamina and continual training to always be ready for anything.
"Each member actively participates in a mandatory physical fitness program, attends scheduled training within the department such as structural firefighting tactics, aircraft familiarization, confined-space training, aircraft rescue fire fighting vehicle familiarization, hazardous materials, aircraft egress," said Roy Hernandez, chief of fire and emergency services. He and his team are contractors with Sallyport Global Services and are assigned to the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.
"In addition to those classes held internally, are those offered through the Air Force Career Development Course, in which 12 Department of Defense Certifications have been issued by the Fire and Emergency Services Certification Program to our personnel since our transition from military to civilian back in June 2008. That is quite an accomplishment," said Chief Hernandez."
"All our personnel undergo practical training in which all the aforementioned classes are put into real-world scenarios," said Chief Hernandez.
"In this career field ... there is a drastic difference between academic and practical knowledge. With my team it's proven by the professionalism and knowledge-base shown during fire, medical, hazardous materials spills and accident responses that our personnel possess both the academic approach and physical capability necessary in order to handle any emergency-response scenario," he said.
When firefighters are not attending a class or training, they are performing fire prevention surveys (more commonly known as inspections) averaging about 52 per month.
"The day-to-day operations in a fire department can sometimes be slow, but you learn how to savor those times, as many days are spent training or running calls," said Dustin Miller, who has been a firefighter for 13 years.
"A lot of people don't notice us much unless there are calls that they see us on. You have to be ready for anything anytime," said Miller.
"You generally get a pretty strong bond with each other. It has been called a brotherhood by many. You especially tend to get close to the guys on your shift, as you are together constantly on shift. But it doesn't matter what department you work for or where you are from, you are still a firefighter, and that bond is strong, even if you don't know each other," said Miller.
Training and equipment checks are the lifeblood for this brotherhood of firefighters.
"Equipment checks are very important in the fact that by checking it you see that it is of working order, so when you go to use it in an emergency, it should be fully operational. And by doing checks, you stay familiar with the equipment that you might have to use in a moment's notice, and it is better to be familiar with it, than to not know how to use it," said Miller.
"The most satisfying part of the job to me is that when I leave from work, I know I was able to perform my duties to the best of my abilities, and my shift and everyone we dealt with that day all made it home as well," he said.
"I know it is hard on my family, not knowing what could happen or when, but they know that this is what I enjoy doing. And that is the one thing that was hard about this deployment — the distance from family," said Miller who recently returned in May to his family.
The firefighters here, all have a strong sense of selfless service. While the reasons they became firefighters may vary, the majority of them are former Air Force firefighters.
For various reasons they chose to continue their careers as firefighters in a civilian capacity, so now they still serve those who serve.
"My mom's father was a volunteer firefighter and I always thought it was neat to see him put the gear on and race to the scene of an emergency," said Daniel Tuttle.
"I never really thought I would end up in this career field but when I entered the Air Force I picked firefighter as one of my choices. When it came up that I was slotted to be a firefighter I was pretty excited about the challenges of the job and to be able to help people at the same time," said Tuttle who has been in the fire service for five years.
"Being a firefighter is truly a unique job. The bond you grow with the guys is just as they say 'a brotherhood' because you. I believe the bond between us becomes strong because when we do perform our job we have to trust the guy next to us," he said.
"The most satisfying part of my job is being able to help others in need. I get a rush of adrenaline each time I get dispatched to a call. Hearing the sirens scream as we race to the scene is amazing," said Tuttle.
"When everyone else is running from a burning structure and you are the one going inside to help rescue those still inside or fight a fire that is giving off intense heat — that is what firefighting is all about!"
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2009 04:15 |
| Story ID: | 34758 |
| Location: | MANAS AIR BASE, KG |
| Web Views: | 94 |
| Downloads: | 78 |
This work, Ready mindsets keep Manas firefighters geared up, by TSgt Phyllis Hanson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
