407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron train Iraqi firefighters

Photo By Master Sgt. Christopher Marasky | Local Iraqi firefighters attempt to remove a mock victim from a building during search and rescue training, March 23. Members of the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron provide hands-on training for local Iraqi firefighters to help increase their proficiency.  

ALI BASE, IRAQ

03.27.2009

Story by Tech. Sgt. Francesca Popp 

332d Air Expeditionary Wing

ALI BASE, Iraq - Firefighters from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron conducted a training class for eight Iraqi firefighters from An Nasariyah and surrounding provinces March 23.

Firefighters learned basic principles such as first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation as well as live-fire training, and search-and-rescue through in-class instruction and hands-on experience.

"They're learning a lot more of the first aid and CPR which they didn't have before," said Tech. Sgt. Cornelius Berry, 407th ECES Fire Emergency Services assistant chief of training. "Many of the firefighters talk about the incidents they've had and how they've been able to apply the concepts they've learned in our class to real-world scenarios. It's definitely going to help keep their victims alive."

Students are provided with a class curriculum and each day of the six-week course students cover a different aspect of firefighting. According to Sergeant Berry, students start off with the basic principles of firefighting at the beginning of each class before they focus on a particular subject. Instructors also periodically conduct skill evaluations on their students' progress on what they've learned so far. If needed, they go over a subject again to the student's satisfaction.

However, learning goes both ways and students become the teachers in the course. One reason behind this concept is because firefighters need instructor experience as part of their career progression. Sergeant Berry said some students have the benefit of coming through the class multiple times and are eager to share what they want to learn more about. This feedback helps the instructors build lesson plans to satisfy the students' needs. Another key factor that helps with the training, while breaking down the language barrier, is having an interpreter on hand to work with the instructors and students during each class.

"We've built a friendship with the Iraqi firefighters with the help of our interpreter and have been able to learn about each other's cultures throughout the course," Sergeant Berry said. "We find that not only do we have firefighting in common but other hobbies such as soccer. I definitely see this training continuing on even after we leave."

• Date Taken: 03.27.2009
• Date Posted: 03.27.2009 01:45
• Story ID: 31670
• Location: ALI BASE, IQ