52nd FW/CC coins firefigthers

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tammie Moore
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  The 52nd Fighter Wing commander presented six 52nd Civil Engineer Squdaron firefighters with his coin as a token of thanks for saving the life of a fellow Saber from a house fire Aug. 10.

Col. Darryl Roberson personally thanked Airman 1st Class Danny Maese, Staff Sgt. Tyrone Oden, Master Sgt. Brett Hawk, Marc Schumacher, Willy Sonnen and Lodwet Gruen for their actions during a fire rescue call July 12.

"We were very fortunate not to long ago when these firefighters saved the life of a fellow Airman," Colonel Roberson said. "There is no doubt in my mind that the way you responded and the quickness you responded are the reason he is here today."

According to the QuickLook fire incident report from the squadron's fire emergency services flight, two firefighters advanced a [water hose] into the unit and began to search for victims and to "knock" down the fire. They were forced to crawl because the high volume of smoke made visibility near zero and the extremely hot temperatures made standing unbearable - even in firefighter personal protective equipment. When searching the master bedroom, they discovered an unconscious, but breathing, victim.

This call was the first time Airman Maese, who arrived at Spangdahlem Air Base, his first duty station six and a half months ago, responded to a real world fire.

"(When we heard the call) my heart started pumping and racing and then to find the victim there was nothing else like it, there was no adrenaline in the world that ever could replace that," he said. "We got him out safely as fast as we could. I wanted to be excited for saving someone's life, but you are worried about them."

While the firefighters appreciated the thanks of the commander being ready to perform heroic acts is part of their job.

"It is good to be recognized, but it is our job, this is what we are trained to do," Airman Maese said. "Waking up at three in the morning isn't fun, but it is amazing to see some of the stuff that we get to see. It is the most exciting job in the world because you never know what you are running into; it keeps your heart pumping. You are going to learn something new everyday. There is nothing like running into a burning building."