Iraqi firefighters to partner with Florida city

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers from 1-9 FA and EOD load 155mm artillery rounds onto a truck, removing them from a fire station in Rusafa, Iraq Oct. 3.  

11.07.2005

Courtesy Story

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Spc. Ben Brody
2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO

RUSAFA, Iraq -- Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery; firefighters from Fort Wayne, Ind.; and residents of Kissimmee, Fla., have a friend in Col. Laith Abbas, fire chief of central Baghdad.

Firefighters from Fort Wayne have given Abbas training aids, while Kissimmee is in the process of becoming a "Sister City" to Rusafa.

Lt. Col. Steven Merkel, 1st Bn., 9th FA, commander, who is from Fort Wayne, and Capt. Matthew Wheeler, 1-9 FA intelligence officer from Kissimmee, were instrumental in pushing the project.

"It really shows that people in the U.S. want to help make things better here -- it's a big confidence boost," Merkel said during a visit to Abbas" station Nov. 3. "I'm extremely proud of the Fort Wayne firefighters -- it says they believe enough in what we're doing in Iraq to donate their time and resources."

Like the military, U.S. firefighters have common task training, which involves a lesson plan and tests. Among the donated items were CD-ROMs and training manuals to help develop the Rusafa firefighters" skills.

The Soldiers of 1/9 FA have found at least one small way to lend a hand at the Rusafa fire station. Local residents routinely bring unexploded ordnance to the firefighters, and so U.S. troops assist in its proper disposal.

"We're working with Col. Laith to increase force protection at his station, and to the dud pit," said Maj. Jay Sawyer, 1-9 FA operations officer. "We just call (explosive ordnance disposal Soldiers) to come over when the dud pit is getting full."

EOD came to the station Nov. 3 and removed about a dozen 155-millimeter artillery rounds, 11 120-millimeter mortar rounds and many smaller explosives, including hand grenades and rifle grenades.

The assistance does not run one way; Abbas and his men have aided U.S. troops on numerous occasions.

"We will respond to any bomb strike, no matter who is hit -- American or Iraqi," Abbas said. "We come to put down the fire, and help our friends."

Abbas" firefighters responded to a blast near Sadr City in which one U.S. vehicle was damaged, and helped extinguish the resulting fire.

"We don't care if the TV cameras are filming, we want to show that we work together and support each other," Abbas said.

• Date Taken: 11.07.2005
• Date Posted: 11.07.2005 17:09
• Story ID: 3644