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KADENA AIR BASE, Japan – Bright orange flames rage as a training C-130 ignites to simulate an aircraft malfunction in a desolate area near Kadena’s flightline. As the inferno spreads across the aircraft, sirens blare and lights flash from fire trucks.
U.S. Air Force 18th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters rushed out of the glimmering lights to the incident scene bearing hoses and hardhats. They have one mission, to win the fight against the blaze during the live-fire training.
“Training always prepares us to respond to real-world emergencies,” said Tech Sgt. Christian Capehart, 18th CES battalion chief. “They can happen anytime, anywhere, so we have to hone our skills and make them better.”
The firefighters enhanced their life-saving capabilities during the training by recovering test casualty dummies while safely extinguishing a simulated aircraft ground emergency.
“The training scenario’s goal was to refresh our firefighting capabilities so we are confidently able to proficiently control, access, and extinguish fires while working together as one team,” said Capehart. "For the newer people, it allows them to experience real-life situations, and for the people who have been here a while, it keeps everything fresh in their heads and helps build muscle memory."
The 18th CES uses a Mobile Aircraft Firefighting Training Device to obtain the most realistic training, it does this by releasing fire from different directions at various heights and locations on the aircraft.
“The use of Kadena’s fire training simulator has been essential in ensuring that our Aircraft Rescue and Recovery Firefighting program continues to be sustainably able to provide safety to Kadena’s members,” said Tech Sgt. Dominic Chargualaf, 18th CES chief of operations. “To rescue somebody in an emergency, communication is vital; the more hands-on training we have, the better we learn to communicate with each other so that we may rescue whomever is in trouble.”
According to Chargualaf, live-fire training is critical within the firefighter career field as it is reported to the Air Force Civil Engineer Center for annual training purposes. AFCEC compiles fire department unit’s annual training in the aspects of critical, non-critical, and local prime beef operations to help maintain proficiency.
“Kadena’s fire training ground allows us to be proactive and better prepared for fire emergency and hazardous materials incidents,” said Chargualaf. “Utilizing the available resources correctly, along with learning enhanced fire suppression techniques, helps us keep ourselves safe and ultimately accomplish our mission of life-safety and emergency mitigation.”
Using their wits and grit, the firefighters successfully beat the heat by assessing the incident and reducing asset damage while ensuring safety of life. After the training concluded, the firefighters witnessed the final flames flicker until their next opportunity.
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| Date Taken: | 06.28.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2024 05:37 |
| Story ID: | 475092 |
| Location: | KADENA AIR BASE, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 443 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Kadena firefighters train on search and rescue operations, by A1C Edward Yankus, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
