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JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- It was Sept. 19, 2009. Army and Air Force firefighters were running together into the pitch black night. They knew a Black Hawk had crashed on base, and there would be casualties. It wasn't a time to question each other's skills or training or experience. It was time to save lives.
As they neared the scene, they heard the panicked voices of nearly 20 other service members who were already caring for the casualties. A badly wounded pilot guided them to the site, and they began using their medic skills to save the crash victims.
The joint team worked seamlessly for hours, stabilized 12 casualties and helped transport them to the Air Force Theater Hospital for additional care.
The firefighters of JBB often speak of their joint unity, but it's the real-world situations that truly bring out their sister-service cohesion.
"When it comes down to it, we are all firefighters," said Tech. Sgt. Raymond Granillo, 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron station chief. "We are here to protect everyone on JBB. It doesn't matter who is on the scene -- I know, no matter what, the job will get done when lives are on the line."
The JBB firefighters have worked together on several major emergencies on base, including large-scale fires and multiple-vehicle accidents.
Although all Department of Defense firefighters are trained together at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, once they arrive at their respective duty stations, the focus gets redirected more toward service-specific needs.
However, in the joint-focused environment downrange, the firefighters saw an opportunity to exchange their knowledge and add to their skills.
"We all have something to bring to the table, and we have all learned a little bit about something from each other," said Army Sgt. Chester Jenkins, 63rd Ordnance Company fire inspector. "The Air Force firefighters are very spun-up with training. As Army personnel, we have the availability to gain that knowledge and further our training. Working with the Air Force is a great asset and a very good learning experience."
Granillo said the different perspective his Army counterparts provide is a definite asset in the deployed environment.
"Working with our Army counterparts has been very beneficial," said Granillo. "The Army looks at things a little differently. It definitely broadens our horizons and allows us to analyze things differently and do our jobs better."
In reality, though, the firefighters spend less time talking about their service-specific differences and more time acting like a unified team.
"We take the greatest pride in the fact that we don't consider ourselves Army or Air Force -- we consider ourselves one fire department," said Chief Master Sgt. Michael Rosser, base fire chief. "We take the joint portion to heart, we consider ourselves a brotherhood and sisterhood, we're all equal, we take care of each other the same, and are proud to do so."
| Date Taken: | 12.21.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 12.21.2009 12:46 |
| Story ID: | 43011 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 306 |
| Downloads: | 271 |
This work, Airmen, Soldiers fight fires together downrange, by A1C Allison Boehm, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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