Fort Carson Soldier firefighters protect 3BCT in Iraq

Photo By Spc. Chastity Boykin | Army firefighters from the 60th Ordnance Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade stand in front of their two custom fire engines they use to protect the task force led by 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division in Iraq. (From left to right) Spc. Clinton Dollahon, of Grassvalley, Calif., Spc. Christopher Henderson, of Marshalltown, Iowa, Spc. Joseph Holliway, of Kansas City, Mo., Pfc. Chase Snodgrass, of Spencer, Ind., Spc. David Perez, of Lawrence, Mass., Spc. Benjamin Haley, of El Paso, Texas, Spc. Percy Watkins, of Round Rock, Texas, and Spc. Edgar Acena, of Long Beach, Calif. Not pictured, Staff Sergeant Brandon Harris, of Memphis, Tenn., and Spc. Daniel Fuller, of Flint, Mich.  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING STATION GARRY OWEN, IRAQ

05.09.2010

Story by Maj. Alan Brown 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

CONTINGENCY OPERATING STATION GARRY OWEN, Iraq -- While standing in line at the dining facility during a recent visit to Contingency Operating Station Garry Owen, I had the pleasure of meeting a group of Army firefighters from the 60th Ordnance Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade from Fort Carson, Colo.

Attached to the task force led by 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, these 10 Soldiers are the first team of Army firefighters ever to protect COS Garry Owen in Maysan Province.

While eating dinner with Spc. Clinton Dollahon, of Grassvalley, Calif., Spc. Christopher Henderson, of Marshalltown, Iowa, Spc. Joseph Holliway, of Kansas City, Mo., and Pfc. Chase Snodgrass, of Spencer, Ind., I learned that these firefighting Soldiers provide emergency response for COS Garry Owen, the adjacent Iraqi army installation and the nearby airstrip.

Other members of the team include: Spc. Edgar Acena, of Long Beach, Calif., Spc. Daniel Fuller, of Flint, Mich., Spc. Benjamin Haley, of El Paso, Texas, Staff Sgt. Brandon Harris, of Memphis, Tenn., Spc. David Perez, of Lawrence, Mass., and Spc. Percy Watkins, of Round Rock, Texas.

They live and work in the fire station they built themselves from the ground up, using 10,000 square feet of raw lumber, determination and sweat.
"We were the first fire department on post. We actually had to build a decent enough structure to house a common area and communication area," said Henderson.

After talking during dinner, the team proudly gave me a tour of their new firehouse.

And while there's no pole to slide down or firehouse dog, the station provides comfortable living quarters, a common area, space for their workout equipment and a covered parking area for their two fire engines.

"There are a lot of things that need to be done to start a fire station, so you can't just jump right in and say you are a working fire department," said Henderson. "We can skip some of this setting up, but if we are to be a Fort Carson-worthy firefighter, we know that there are two ways of doing things, the right way, and the RIGHT way."

When they receive a call, the team rolls in two identical Tactical Fire Fighting Trucks built on a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck frame, a common heavy duty vehicle used throughout the Army for a variety of purposes.

The trucks are custom built by both Oshkosh Defense and their subsidiary, Pierce Manufacturing. The pumping assembly is made specifically for the Army by Darley and designed to provide over 1000 pounds per square inch. The truck can be maintained by a minimal crew of two mechanics, one for the vehicle and one for the pumping system, said Henderson.

While the crew has not yet been called to respond to a fire emergency, they are serious about keeping up with their training and always being ready. Henderson credits the lack of fires to the excellent precautionary measures taken by the unit-level fire marshals on the base.

Recently, they've been called to use their powerful water spray to clean the base's two medical evacuation UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. They've also fired up their rescue chain saws to provide demolition assistance for some old structures on the installation.

As they toured me through their station, the group unanimously agreed that providing for the safety of their fellow Soldiers is their No. 1 priority.

"We don't take shortcuts, and we don't do anything that will compromise this mission or the safety of our fellow Soldiers," said Henderson to the affirming nods of the rest of his team. "Our job is protecting the fighting force, and we plan on doing everything possible to ensure that the Soldiers on post have a competent and ready Fire Department," he said.

The Soldiers all attended their initial entry training at the Department of Defense Fire Fighting Academy at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, alongside prospective firefighters from all branches of service.

The unit has been deployed since November 2009, first to Contingency Operating Base, Adder before moving to COS Garry Owen in February 2010. They are slated to return to Fort Carson in November 2010, where they will continue training and working alongside the Fort Carson Fire Department.

• Date Taken: 05.09.2010
• Date Posted: 05.14.2010 03:38
• Story ID: 49643
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING STATION GARRY OWEN, IQ