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By Thomas Provost
III Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs Office
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, Okinawa -- The early morning darkness on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma was breached by the raging flames of a Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Training exercise Sept. 25, 2008.
The purpose of the monthly exercise is to train Marines for fuel fires. If an aircraft that is loaded with fuel crashes, the Marine firefighters need to be proficient in fighting a fuel fire so the pilot and crew can be rescued.
The exercise, called a controlled burn, began with the igniting of the unit's burn pit loaded with jet fuel. In the center of the burn pit is a simulated aircraft fuselage which has "crashed."
The burn pit is a large circular pool, filled with water about two feet deep. Jet fuel is then added to the water where it separates from the water and floats on top.
This is the first time both sections of Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting came on duty and participated together in a controlled burn, so each section learns to work with the other in case the section on standby is called up to assist the section on duty, said Sgt. Lewis Meza, section one leader for Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, H and HS.
The firefighters ran through the scenario seven times, with the nozzle man, who is the fire fighter controlling where the hose is spraying, and the hand line man, who carries the weight of the hose behind the nozzle man.
The firefighters who were not participating in a scenario were standing by on fire engines with hoses ready to put out the flames if the fire got out of control.
Each scenario involved two two-man teams, a safety Marine for each team, and the safety officer.
"Safety is a big deal," said Meza. "We don't cut any corners."
When the blaze got big and hot, the teams of two entered the pit attacking the engulfing flames. Each team angled toward the nose of the mock aircraft at 45 degree angles and made their way slowly toward the aircraft as the nozzle man swept back and forth, extinguishing the fire as they neared the simulated downed aircraft.
After extinguishing the fire inside the aircraft, the teams pulled back and moved around the sides of the simulated aircraft extinguishing the remaining flames.
"Every time we went in, it [the fire] acted different," said Lance Cpl. Jordan Dewald, a firefighter with Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, H and HS. "It was a good learning experience."
For the exercise, the firefighters were using more fuel than usual, which resulted in a much larger fire for each scenario.
It's good to see the different ways the fire reacts where there is more fuel in the pit, said Dewald.
"No matter how large the aircraft or fire involved, we're always prepared for something different and we adjust," said Dewald.
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.06.2008 21:44 |
| Story ID: | 24596 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 263 |
| Downloads: | 189 |
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