Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Crystal Harlow | Army Reserve soldiers extinguish a flame in a second story controlled burn room during...... read more read more
FORT MCCOY, Wis. -- Soldiers under the 416th Theater Engineer Command make it rain. As an infantryman would clear rooms with a rifle, these soldiers clear rooms with a high-powered fire hose. Water flies everywhere, and if you’re not careful you may get a blasting shower if you stand outside a window of the controlled burn tower here.
Firefighters from the 482nd Engineering Detachment (Firefighting Headquarters Detachment) of Fort Riley, Kan., and 324th Engineering Detachment (Firefighter Truck Team) of Granite City, Ill., tackle a CBT on a burn training ground here for their annual training during the 2011 Combat Support Training Exercise. They perform these exercises along with the 359th Engineering Detachment (FFTT) and 750th Engineering Detachment (FFTT) both of Fort Riley, Kan., who are slated to deploy in the near future.
Though you’ll find these soldiers laughing and joking on their downtime between drills, when they suit up it’s an entirely different story. “You get tested,” said Pfc. Cody Forgey, a firefighter with the 376th Eng. Det. (FFTT). “It’s hot outside, then you have to put on all of your gear. It’s basically a challenge where you see how much guts you have to keep going when you’re absolutely exhausted.”
These soldiers can spend up to 12 hours a day in record high temperatures, taking turns getting fully suited up and running through exercises, like the CBT. Temperatures inside the CBT can reach up to 900 degrees, but the training non-commissioned officer in charge ensures his soldiers don’t get drained on sweltering days.
“The amount of hours we practice a day depends on the heat,” said Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Werner, NCOIC and fire chief of the 482nd Engineering Company of Fort Riley, Kan.
The first couple days, soldiers navigate the BTG learning the basics of each obstacle. The following days of the exercise training becomes more intense, and smoke and fire are added to certain situations. The final days of the exercise will be full-scenario training. The soldiers will have to mount their trucks, drive out to a simulated incident and perform everything they’ve learned.
As intense as a day of training can get for these soldiers, many of them have been looking forward to days like this for a long time. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” shared Forgey. “Being a firefighter was my dream ever since I was a little kid.”
Being able to perform under pressure is critical to their profession. Precise reaction is their key to saving lives, and of course it’s serious business to them.
“We save people in two ways,” said Werner, whose hometown is Racine, Wis. “We’re Army soldiers, so we go to help people in need whether they think they are in need or not, we’re there. Then we save soldiers,” said Werner. “Saving lives is our main mission.”
| Date Taken: | 07.25.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2011 16:55 |
| Story ID: | 74345 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 534 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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