Camp Phoenix personnel volunteer time to fight fires, save lives

Photo By 2nd Lt. Rebecca Linder | Members of the Camp Phoenix Fire Department take a moment from their training to pose for a picture. Nearly 30 service members, coalition forces and contractor civilians are part of the team that trains twice a week to prepare for fire emergencies.  

AFGHANISTAN

08.21.2010

Story by Sgt. Rebecca Linder 

196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade

CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan – Service members, civilians and coalition forces have given up personal time to volunteer their fire-fighting skills to the Camp Phoenix Fire Department. About 30 personnel stationed here meet twice a week to train in case they need to respond to an emergency fire.

“We want to provide protection to the camp to ensure the safety of the personnel stationed here,” said fire station engineer, Maj. Edward Michels, 1st Battalion, 178th Field Artillery, South Carolina Army National Guard. “If an attack were to happen, we would have to do what we can to extinguish that fire so it wouldn’t cause loss of life.”

The fire station, which has provided support to electrical and range fires is more than five years old and mirrors the set up of a civilian-operated station, added Michels of Beaufort, S.C.

Heading the fire station, Sgt. Thomas Singletary, fire chief, 1-178th and Sgt. Michael Hardy, assistant fire chief, 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery, Massachusetts Army National Guard, both with prior experience as full-time firefighters in their home states, provide a training program to those who want to be part of the team.

“We provide the volunteer firefighters with training to keep them safe on a fire scene,” said Hardy. “We also show them how to work as a team to effectively put out a fire or rescue injured personnel.”

The training involves practicing search and rescue techniques, interactive hands-on classes where the volunteers learn how to properly hold a water hose, and educational videos.

“We have trained with the French army at Camp Warehouse at a training burn area where we put out fires using the training we have learned,” said Michels. “We also have a tower we use to simulate going into a building. This training helps us get better and faster at our jobs.”

To better assist with the training, the fire department recently obtained new equipment. The volunteers will wear new backpacks that contain a mix of water and foam to help conveniently suppress fire. The other new pieces of equipment are the RKO enterprise fire and rescue units that also hold foam and water, which is installed in the back of utility vehicles.

“The equipment we use will help to effectively put out a fire,” said Pfc. Amy Major, volunteer firefighter. “It is also convenient for Camp Phoenix because John Deere Gators are used to travel throughout the camp so the RKO units come in handy,” added the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Dakota Army National Guard soldier.

With the new equipment and the training the volunteers receive, personnel on the Camp Phoenix Fire Department are ready to fight any fire that might come their way.

“I have always had an interest in becoming a firefighter, but I never had the opportunity to do it back home,” said Major. “Now that I am here, I have received great training and now help serve the Camp Phoenix community.”

• Date Taken: 08.21.2010
• Date Posted: 08.21.2010 04:47
• Story ID: 54951
• Location: AF