To ensure the safety of our Airmen here at MacDill, firefighters strive to maintain a high standard of physical and technical readiness. Their strength and knowledge allows MacDill Airmen to charge the storm when it comes.
“Fitness is everything for a firefighter,” said Airman 1st Class Michael Banks, 6th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter. “The way we train makes the difference between being able to save one person and saving four.”
Firefighters exercise daily with goals of endurance and strength. “Our kit can weigh upwards of 60 pounds,” said Banks. “We not only need to be strong enough to wear the kit, but also to carry another person for very long periods of time.”
Every day, firefighters train as a team by using a mix of strength and endurance exercises to maintain exceptional physical fitness. They frequently do weight-training, long-distance runs, high-intensity-training, and many other exercise methods.
Firefighters spend their down time training not just their bodies, but also their minds.
“We get together at multiple times throughout the day to review our standard operating procedures (SOPs),” said Airman 1st Class Daniel Zizzo, 6th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter. “It’s incredibly important to know exactly what we need to do and where to be in order to best protect the people at MacDill.”
A firefighter’s SOPs give them guidance on many of the situations they might face in the field.
Firemen gather daily to review SOPs that consist of guidance for setting up fire engines, proper equipment maintenance, emergency procedures, and other topics vital to performing their job and maintaining their occupational proficiency.
“Our job is the epitome of maintaining readiness,” said Zizzo. “From operating our trucks and exercising, to securing our equipment and working 48-hour shifts, we train to keep everyone on base safe.”
Fires don’t wait for firefighters to be ready, therefore our Airmen must fight to stay one step ahead of disaster, here on the Championship Peninsula.
| Date Taken: |
02.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: |
02.15.2024 16:36 |
| Story ID: |
464009 |
| Location: |
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: |
120 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, MacDill firefighters train to stay prepared, by SrA Derrick Bole, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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