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Training takes joint base firefighters to new level

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Gustavo Gonzalez
  • 15th Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM, Hawaii --  Panic. Havoc. Tragedy. A projector displayed an aircraft sitting in a runway, engulfed in flames.

This description of a scene unfolding at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam no one ever thought they would see again or would want to see again.

For the firefighters here, it was the Norma Brown trainer, a realistic situational training software used as part of a 12-day Fire Officer Two Course. The command and control training involved both the Hickam firefighters and Federal Fire Department Hawaii firefighters from Pearl Harbor.

The classroom simulation required 12 firefighters to work together using radio communication to secure the area where the aircraft was engulfed in flames. With all the firefighters geared up with headsets, communication was the key to a Navy and Air Force joint effort.

According to Staff Sgt. Lawrence McGuire, a 647th Civil Engineer Squadron fire fighter, the visuals on the screen, the sound effects and the constant radio communication creates a realistic scene to prepare them for the real thing. The classroom setting was a tense experience for all of them.

"We went through a practical exercise and what it's supposed to do is simulate controlled chaos that happened on any fire and or emergency scene." said Scott Ebert, Federal Fire Department Hawaii fire inspector.

The joint training brings Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam one step closer together after combining the two historic bases into one joint installation Feb. 1 to support both Air Force and Navy missions.

"Joint basing may have some meshing issues at some point but in terms of fire and emergency services, that's one area where we really don't have a whole lot of problems," Mr. Ebert said. "We are all playing by the same playbook, we all use the same terminology, we are all trained by the same standards and most of us go through the same school."

The Incident Command System the students learned in this course module is based on the National Incident Management System. The NIMS provides a standardized approach in mitigating emergency responses from the local, state and federal levels.

"If that plane catches on fire and I'm the first one on scene, then I can take control until the on-scene commander gets there." Sergeant McGuire said.

According to Tech. Sgt. Robert Laning, 312th Training Squadron DoD Fire Academy instructor at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, the joint training the joint training they received is right in line with the joint mission in Hawaii.

"I think on the operations side that's really going to make things better as far as what Navy does and what the Air Force does and combining those together," he said. "They both have things that we specialize in on the Navy side and on the Air Force side. These are all things we cover in class."

Sergeant Laning said the firefighters for this class passed with flying colors.

"This is by far one of the best classes because they really embraced what we are trying to teach them." he said. "They're level of commitment is beyond reach."

The training was conducted by Sergeant Laning, and Samuel Sprouse. The instructors travel to different instillations conducting the training, maximizing the benefit to a larger audience at a minimal cost; ensuring people are qualified for the mission.

"We go on the road with fire officer two and fire officer three and it's an advanced management in the fire service and more than just what people think about the physical aspects." said Sergeant Laning.

Not only can the group of joint firefighters put out a fire, thanks to the mobile instructors, they can safely and effectively manage fire and emergency service resources at a new level.