KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Fire Prevention Week was held on Kandahar Airfield from, Oct 5-10. The week was sponsored by the Kandahar Airfield Fire Department.
The fire department held events Mon, Wed and Fri, with an open house at the fire department on Saturday.
During the week, the fire department brought the trucks out to the boardwalk so service members could come to see them and ask questions about the department. They also had a fire pit so service members could practice using fire extinguishers to put out the fire.
During the open house, service members were invited to come to the fire house to view all the equipment and try it on.
"We would have liked a better turn out this year," said Victor Kail, a fire inspector with the fire department. "We will just have to plan a little better next year."
"We really wanted to raise more awareness," said Jason Keyes, a fire crew chief with the department. "We wanted them to see how serious we take fire safety so that they might too."
To help keep Kandahar Airfield safe from fires, the fire department conducts fire drills across the post and completes all fire inspections for the buildings.
"We not only have to prepare them for normal fire hazards but, since we are in Afghanistan, we have to prepare them for things such as rocket attacks," said Kail.
Regardless of how much they try to prevent fires, Keyes knows they are going to happen.
"We are here to save lives," said Keyes. "That's our job, that's our duty."
Kandahar Airfield has never had an individual die or harmed because of a fire.