CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Chief Warrant Officer 2 Whitney Hackstadt and Staff Sgt. Matthew Tybor, the 108th Sustainment Brigade safety team, conducted fire safety training in conjunction with Camp Taji Fire Department personnel on Feb. 2, 2019.
The training covered electrical safety which is especially important for deployed Soldiers due to both 110 and 220 volt power systems and equipment being used in Iraq.
“Soldiers must be aware that electrical appliances, adapters, and converters sold in shops and markets here may not have been tested by safety organizations such as Underwriters Laboratories. These items are often the cause of fires here.” Hackstadt said.
The training also covered the types of fire extinguishers as well as how to properly use an extinguisher to put out a fire.
“It’s important for you to know the type of fire the extinguisher you have will work on.” Tybor said. “If you have the wrong type of extinguisher, you can actually make the problem worse. All of the extinguishers here at Taji should be A, B, C dry powder and can be used on any type of fire.”
The Camp Taji Fire Department then gave the Soldiers an opportunity to put a fire extinguisher into use to put out a controlled fire.
“I had never used an extinguisher before so I didn’t know what to expect.” Dellgadillo said. “Now that I have done it, I know I could do it if there ever was a real fire.”