Photo By Michael Davis | Technical Sergeant John Cox, 612th Air Base Squadron Fire Department Logistics NCOIC,...... read more read more
Subscribe
Building strong partnerships was on full display in the third quarter for the 612th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron (EABS) Fire and Emergency Service (F&ES) Fire Dawgs stationed at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. The mission of F&ES is to provide professional fire suppression forces, highly capable rescue crews, and an aggressive fire prevention education program to protect the lives and property on the installation. The 43-member team aims to preserve Joint Task Force Bravo’s (JTF-B) ability to counter transnational organized crime and build partnership capacities within the region.
“The 612 EABS fire department has been the tip of the spear for JTF-Bravo in both local community engagements and building partnership capacity in our AOR,” JTF-B Commander, U.S. Air Force Col. Steven Gventer said. “They vigilantly keep the JTF and Soto Cano Airbase safe as well as the local communities.”
Co-located at Soto Cano Air Base, JTF-Bravo organizes multilateral exercises and support in cooperation with partner nations, deters counter transnational organized crime, provides humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, and seeks defense institution building to promote regional cooperation and security in Central America. Soto Cano F&ES provides the following services to the installation community: incident management, aircraft rescue and firefighting operations, structural firefighting, technical rescue operations, wild land firefighting, hazardous materials response, confined space rescue, automobile extrication, initial medical response in the pre-hospital care setting, proactive fire prevention, fire incident mitigation, emergency dispatch, and global contingency support.
TIRE FIRE
Soto Cano Air Base Fire and Emergency Service F&ES dispatch received a call for mutual aid from the Comayagua Fire Department, Sept. 23. 2021. A tire shop downtown caught fire and Comayagua’s Firefighters on-scene were running low on water. With the closest hydrant being 0.8 kilometers away, a request was made for a four-thousand gallon water truck from the Soto Cano Fire Department... Tender 13, manned by Air Force Fire Protection Specialists Staff Sergeant Antonio Rocha from Wilder, Idaho and Senior Airman Tyler Ghent from Portland, Connecticut, arrived on scene to help the Comayagua Fire Department fight the fire. The swift reaction, resources and skills showcased in the mutual aid response to the Comayagua Fire Department allowed them to battle a four-hour blaze preventing what could have been a complete loss to multiple residential homes in the local community .
“The Mad Macaws from the 612 Expeditionary Air Base Squadron epitomize what building partnership capacity really is, stepping up and helping our host nation partners when called upon; they are champions of their profession,” said Colonel Cory Christoffer, Commander of the 612th Theater Operations Group and the 474th Air Expeditionary Group. “The 612th EABS is truly an elite organization!”
HOLY WEEK SUPPORT
Soto Cano F&ES assisted the local community in support of their Holy Week, October 2, 2021 through October 10, 2021. During this operation, the 612 EABS provided four responders on a daily basis to help deliver immediate response to automobile and bicycling accidents, on-site and immediate care for emergencies at the water parks, and render aid to traveling vacationers at points of interest located on the heavily traversed nearby highway . The team successfully provided medical treatment to five bicyclists involved in a collision with nearby motorists and multiple locals suffering from heat exhaustion. The “on the spot and fast” treatment, as one witness stated, was much appreciated and shows the love and commitment this team strives for.
CENTAM SMOKE
Soto Cano F&ES hosted a bi-annual exercise, CENTAM SMOKE (Central American Sharing Mutual Operational Knowledge and Experience) on February 20 to February 28 and again on August 22 to August 28, 2021. This weeklong exercise with five Central American partner nations (Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Costa Rica) strives to build personal and professional relationships through the sharing of operational knowledge and experience. During the event, fire instructors from Soto Cano provide in-depth skills training on helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft rescue firefighting, structural firefighting, low-angle rescue operations, and a competitive fitness challenge between the participating nations.
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
Soto Cano F&ES used the first week of October to spread the National Fire Prevention Week message of “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety.” The week began with the 612th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron Commander, Lt Col Michael Lopez, signing the proclamation declaring the start of Fire Prevention week officially on the installation. The events, put together by Staff Sergeant Simon Grimes, Firefighter Crew Chief, and many others behind the scenes, were plentiful and included a visit to a local village to deliver fire prevention materials, educate 140 children on the importance of fire safety, and build relationships playing soccer. As the week progressed, firefighters were out front in the community delivering safety tips to the installation and engaging with the public. The week commenced with a Fire Muster, allowing four-person teams made up of Army, Air Force, and Honduran personnel to compete in a relay race and get a taste of what a firefighter experiences on the scene of a fire emergency. The Army team from the 1-228th Army Aviation Regiment earned the top time and bragging rights on the installation for the next year.
| Date Taken: | 11.30.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.30.2021 17:50 |
| Story ID: | 410196 |
| Location: | HN |
| Web Views: | 225 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 612 EABS FIRE DAWGS STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIPS THROUGH MUTUAL AID AND EDUCATION, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
