Courage under fire

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sarah Gregory
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy (USAFENS) --  Airmen with the 31st Aviano Fire Emergency Services flight recently traveled to Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily , Italy to gain live firefighting experience.

“The primary goals of the training were to ensure our firefighters experience the heat, learn proper techniques in applying extinguishing agent and to enhance teamwork in order to save lives and the multi-million dollar assets they protect,” said Bryant Nicodemus, assistant chief of fire prevention.

During the training sessions, each firefighter experienced more than 1,000 degree heat as they extinguished simulated aircraft fires ranging from engine and interior cargo fires to a fully engulfed aircraft fire.

“They returned to duty with a better understanding of aircraft fire behavior and the tactics involved in extinguishing aircraft fires as quickly as possible,” said Mr. Nicodemus.

As a new arrival at Aviano fresh from technical training at Goodfellow AFB, Texas , Airman 1st Class Andrew Sanchez jumped at the chance for training.

“The training helped me learn better techniques, specifically for working with aircraft,” he said. “It also gave us the opportunity to learn more about the team and to trust each other. When you are in those situations, you don’t have a lot of time to debate; you have to just react and trust your partner.”

Just like the differences between grease and electrical fires, there are differences in the way various aircraft materials burn.

“It might be a wheel, brake or cockpit fire they are dealing with so firefighters have to know about the different materials, how they burn and what can be used to extinguish each type effectively,” explained Mr. Nicodemus.

Air Force firefighters are required to do live burns every six months to stay current with their certification. Since Aviano’s training facility is in the middle of upgrades, the facility in Sigonella is currently the only one available in Europe.

“The aircraft fire simulator is a mobile unit using 400 gallons of propane; enough to raise the fire’s temperature to over 1,000 degrees,” explained Mr. Nicodemus.

The Navy’s mobile unit is equipped with safety features such as temperature and gas sensors and emergency shut-down switches. The three simulator operators communicate using the unit’s voice activated intercom system.

“Safety is paramount before, during and after each fire simulation,” said Mr. Nicodemus.

In addition to working with live fires, firefighters must also maintain proficiency in several other areas.

Another specific certification Air Force firefighters have to obtain is HAZMAT operations, which requires them to learn the defensive measures used to prevent escalation of contamination, said Mr. Nicodemus. Firefighters are also expected to become proficient in driver operations so they have the ability to drive the fire trucks.