Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy | An early morning fire destroyed the dining facility and six living quarters at Patrol...... read more read more
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By Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – Thanks to quick thinking and combined efforts of Iraqi army and coalition soldiers, no one was hurt during an early morning fire at Patrol Base Diesel, Oct. 30, 2008.
A massive fire left seven Soldiers displaced, destroyed the dining facility and two containerized housing units, or CHUs, and resulted in some personal property damage. But for the immediate action by the leaders first on scene, it could have turned out much worse.
"The unit's battle drill for a base fire response by pre-staging firefighting equipment, Soldier accountability [and] knowledge of the electrical grid ... clearly prevented the fire from being catastrophic," said Ralph "Skip" Stuck, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) safety manager.
The night-duty battle captain, Capt. David Rokhlin, and Master Sgt. Leslie McCampbell, 17th IA Division Military Transition Team, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT), responded to a burning smell just after 2 a.m. McCampbell awoke Master Sgt. Calvin Wineglass, who noticed a glow behind the dining facility while going to turn off the circuit breakers.
Wineglass knocked on doors to wake up Soldiers, beginning with those who were in rooms next to the dining facility.
"I ran and woke up the [security detail] guys, and they got up and helped pull all their personal gear out of the [rooms]," said Master Sgt. Alfred Dalton, 17th IA Div. MiTT non-commissioned officer in charge. "Master Sgt. Wineglass decided to try to separate the two DFAC buildings and we had the Soldiers salvage as much food as possible."
While the Soldiers worked to put out the fire and save equipment, Rokhlin was coordinating to get assistance from the Mahmudiyah Fire Department and the IA.
"It took an hour for the fire department to get here, which really wasn't bad considering where they had to come from," Dalton said.
The 17th IA Div.'s senior enlisted Soldier, Command Sgt. Maj. Tha'ar, showed up with a bucket loader to push the burning CHUs away from the other CHUs and toward the DFAC, which was already burning.
Lt. Col. Malek, 17th IA Div. Engineer Battalion commander, was also on the scene to lead his IA engineers as they helped keep the fire from causing further damage. The engineers brought several loads of sand to dump on the fire.
"In my opinion, the IA showing up with that piece of equipment is the only thing saved the rest of the CHUs. That was key," Dalton said. He added that Wineglass and the other Soldiers waking the Soldiers in the first rooms ensured no injuries occurred.
Tha'ar said he and his Soldiers would be glad to help haul the debris, clean the area and rebuild the dining facility.
"The cooperation between the Mahmudiyah Fire Department, IA and our Soldiers is indicative of the partnership we've shared throughout this deployment," Dalton said. "We're grateful for their assistance."
| Date Taken: | 10.30.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 11.01.2008 12:04 |
| Story ID: | 25814 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 836 |
| Downloads: | 707 |
This work, Iraqi Army, Coalition work together to fight fire, prevent injuries, by SFC Kerensa Hardy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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