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Firemen assigned to the 144th Fighter Wing joined Marine aircraft rescue firefighters at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii for a collaborative two-week training exercise from August 11 to August 25.
The 144th Fighter Wing was the third Air National Guard unit to participate in development training exercises with the Marines. For the past two months, two other ANG units, the 145th Airlift Wing from North Carolina and the 166th Airlift Wing from Delaware, trained in Kaneohe Bay with the Marine firefighters.
Initiated by the National Guard Bureau, the training exercise was more than an opportunity to provide deployment training. It also provided the opportunity to implement the Air Force Force Generation Model. AFFORGEN moves away from the traditional deployment model, which does not prioritize joint training prior to deploying. AFFORGEN allows military members to train together prior to being in theatre together, so they can develop team cohesion, and once in theatre, they have the ability to hit the ground running. Furthermore, AFFORGEN promotes the ideology of the multi-capable Airmen. Rather than firefighters 'just being firefighters' they are now given the knowledge to protect themselves and their assets in a contested environment.
Gunnery Sgt. Dwight Bunton, logistic chief for Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, said that hosting the training exercise for the past two months was educational.
"I would highly advocate for this training moving forward," said Bunton. "If you're not training to get better, you just get left behind."
Over the two weeks, Air Force firefighters taught Marine aircraft rescue personnel emergency medical services vitals & assessment, tactical combat casualty care, emergency medical technician basic first aid protocol, introduction to rope rescue, and hoe evolutions. In turn, the Marines provided the opportunity for our firefighters to accomplish mission readiness training such as vehicle convoy operations, which teaches personnel how to move assets from one spot to another in a high danger area, aircraft crash recovery, which requires firefighters to know the emergency procedures to shut down and correctly administer pilot egress on a variety of aircraft, including a MV-22 Osprey, Poseidon 8, C-130 Hercules, and a UH-60 Blackhawk.
Chief Master Sgt. Cory Hogg, fire chief for the 144th FW said, "I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity to be included in the starting phases of the AFFORGEN model's implementation within the air national guard."
When asked about his experience working with a different branch, Hogg said it was incredibly valuable.
"It's always beneficial to compare how the same job differs across branches," said Hogg, "it helps us grow and adapt, making us ready for whatever comes our way."
| Date Taken: | 09.09.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.11.2024 15:34 |
| Story ID: | 481635 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION KANEOHE BAY, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The 144th Tests the AFFORGEN Model, by SSgt Rebecca M Perez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
