Photo By Todd Hack | Chief Yeoman Anthony S. Cuevas (left), from San Diego, California, and Information...... read more read more
When a person departs for Navy Recruiting Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, the main notion on their mind is being at sea, surrounded by nothing but ocean, as far as the eye can see, for months at a time. But a new recruit soon finds that water isn’t the bane of a Sailor, it is fire. Fire causes smoke, making it difficult to see and to breathe. It is fire that can destroy your home away from home. It is fire which can cause an entire ship’s crew to respond as if their lives depend on it, either in port, at sea, beneath the surface of the sea in a submarine or even in the air on one of the many Navy airplanes. Being a Sailor means being a firefighter.
Everyone living In the Western U.S., and in California in particular, has a fire-related story to tell. The consistent heat and dearth of rain make the land susceptible to fire and even a little wind can turn a few sparks into a five-alarm fire.
Defending life and property from fire wasn’t on Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Southwest Recruiter Chief Yeoman Anthony S. Cuevas’ mind when he drove into work at Navy Reserve Recruiting Station Riverside located inside Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Riverside on March Air Reserve Base (ARB), California, April 28, 2021. But fire safety is training that is drilled into every Sailor from almost Day One, so when he saw sparks fly, he was ready to fight.
At around 9:30 a.m., Cuevas went outside to his vehicle to retrieve a few items when he felt a gust of wind at his back and a heard a crash as branches from a nearby tree broke apart and flew into a powerline causing a transformer to explode.
“I witnessed some flaming debris shoot across the street and land in the grassy field next to the air field and warehouses,” said Cuevas. “I immediately ran into the NOSC to report the fire to the quarterdeck watch to notify the base fire department. I grabbed the first available fire extinguisher and raced to the fire.”
Cuevas was not alone in his response, others in the NOSC were quick to react as well.
“The NOSC experienced a power loss and before I could wonder why, I heard, ‘There is smoke outside. I think there is a fire,’” said Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Jonathan M. Fisher. “I saw (Cuevas) grab a fire bottle from the quarterdeck and run outside. I raced to follow him out to the fire, because I knew it would be dangerous to fight the fire all alone.”
Cuevas, a Reservist on recall active-duty orders as a Recruiter, joined the Navy in 1998 as an active duty Aviation Structural Mechanic (AMS) and wasn’t a novice when it comes to fighting fire. While an AMS, he and had taken the Navy’s Aircraft & Shipboard Firefighting school as a requirement for Aircraft maintenance, Plane Captain & Landing Signalman Enlisted qualifications.
“(Cuevas) reached the scene of the fire and was able to smother it and keep it from spreading,” said Fisher, from Tampa, Florida. “After the (March ARB) Chief of the Guard showed up on the scene, I ran back to grab another fire bottle from the NOSC to flood the area as a re-flash precaution and then became the fire watch until the base fire department arrived.”
Memories of past fires in the Riverside area and the need to keep people safe were in Cuevas’ thoughts as he ran through the field to the fire.
“I felt the need to get involved as the winds were heavy, and I did not want a repeat of what happened with the previous years’ fire season,” said Cuevas. “(NTAG Southwest Recruiters) are guests on March ARB's facility and also guests inside the NOSC, so the least I can do is support the NOSC’s operations, keep it safe and running in tip-top condition.”
Cuevas, from San Diego, California, will soon return to his role as a Reservist stationed with Seal Team 17's Unmanned Aerial Systems unit on Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California, where he works as the command’s admin person and is also a Scan Eagle & Puma Drone operator.
“I am proud of our junior Sailors at the NOSC as they did their parts and executed well,” said Cuevas. “The staff did everything professionally and prevented a potential disaster.”
NTAG Southwest encompasses 210,000 square miles covering Arizona, Nevada and Southern California. Headquartered at Naval Base Point Loma, the command has three Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers (TAOC Fleet City, TAOC Surf City and TAOC Paradise City) managing 43 Navy Recruiting Stations and Navy Officer Recruiting Stations in the tri-state region and employing more than 300 recruiters, support personnel and civilians.
For more news from NTAG Southwest, visit www.dvidshub.net/unit/NRD-SanDiego or https://www.cnrc.navy.mil/pages-nrd/sandiego/default.html. Also you can follow the command on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ntagsw), Twitter (@NRD_SanDiego) and Instagram (@ntagsw).
| Date Taken: | 04.28.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.11.2021 17:39 |
| Story ID: | 396153 |
| Location: | MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Hometown: | TAMPA, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 193 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Recruiter Defends Base, Combats Brush Fire, by Todd Hack, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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