100th CES firefighter shares dream, skills with next generation

  • Published
  • By Gina Randall
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  For one Airman currently assigned to RAF Mildenhall, his dream as a boy was to be a firefighter and serve his nation.

"I got out of high school when I was 17 and I had already signed my commitment to the Air Force," said Senior Airman Conor Delaney, 100th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter. "I knew I wanted to do something in public service and I wanted to be a firefighter for a long time. They kind of pulled my name out of a hat and said, 'Hey, you get to go be a firefighter.' I was really excited. I think it's one of the greatest jobs in the world."

Now that Delaney is living his dream, he wanted to share his skills and interests with the next generation. The opportunity arose in 2015 when he was asked to teach the Boy Scouts of America's Fire Safety Merit Badge program.

"We got an email in December from the boy scout leader, wanting to set something up for the fire safety merit badge," explained Delaney. "I guess they've done something similar a few years back. I come from a big family, and I always have been around kids, so I wanted to be involved. I began emailing back and forth with the troop leader. It was going to be a six-week class.

"After talking with chief (Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Mohr, 100th CES fire chief), Simon Law (a British firefighter assigned to the 100th CES) and Airman Basic Ty Sawyer (also 100th CES firefighter) who were really helpful, we couldn't wait to get started. We put together a class every other week for six weeks. The children came in and we tried to show and teach them something cool."

Delaney and his team thought hard about the learning methods.

"The first day we took them out and showed them a live fire. They got to observe what we do, how we would actually be on the scene of an aircraft fire," said Delaney. "We gave them a homework assignment to design a fire safety plan for their home, such as a meeting place for their family. This was to keep their mind observant, to say 'this is where my exits of my house are' and overall safety in the home. I got out of it that they were able to look at their home in a different light, such as there's a reason to have two doors in the room, or windows. We went over those plans and covered things like fire extinguishers and how to use them, things that may be helpful day to day. We showed them a grease fire demonstration and how something basic like cooking on the stove can turn into something catastrophic if they are not careful."

Delaney hoped that perhaps it would spark an interest in his chosen profession for those in the class, and in sharing his skills he was reminded why he joined the Air Force.

"It gave me the opportunity to bring something new in. It's like anything you do, you may get complacent in it," said Delaney. "People say to you all the time, 'You're a firefighter, that's awesome.' A part of you is like, 'Yeah, it is,' and another part of you thinks, 'Well yeah, but it's something I do every day.' You lose track of how awesome it is. When people come in and you are able to teach them something it re-sparks it for you. Your innocence is back with you in the sense of a job, so it's really exciting to share my job with kids full of life and energy."

Delaney was selected for this program for displaying the Air Force core values and his leadership is proud of what he achieved.

"In early January, Airman Delaney volunteered to spearhead the Boy Scouts of America's Fire Safety Merit Badge program," said Tech. Sgt. William Pritchett, 100th CES Fire Department operations station chief. "This included leading a team of firefighters to create a training plan which would teach the boy scouts. The program was successful and all personnel, boy scouts and firefighters alike had fun and learned a lot in the process."

Delaney wanted to thank the others on the team who helped him achieve success.

"Simon Law actually came in on his off time, which was great," added Delaney. "Sawyer also provided valuable support for manpower. If we had to show them how fast we get our gear on, Sawyer was able to demonstrate our skills."

These skills must be kept current for the firefighters entrusted to keep base personnel safe. No day is the same and Delaney enjoys the variety of his duties.

"I like going from zero to 60. I like the idea that it can be real slow and quiet then all of a sudden you are going full speed," Delaney explained. "It keeps you on your toes and keeps you from getting too relaxed. It's one of the more fun jobs we have and there is always something to do."

He hopes his class members never become complacent about fire safety as they grow into young men with lives, homes and careers of their own.

"I would like to think they got a lot of good information out of it even if they choose not to (become firefighters)," explained Delaney. "It's one of those things where you hope that nobody would have to use the information that you give them but if worst comes to worst they can think, 'Hey I've learned this,' and instinct will kick in, an instinct that could potentially save their life or someone else's."