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AF firefighters unite for training

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Rachelle Coleman
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Set atop two jet fuel tanks, a firefighter prepared to rappel down while 11 of his crew members ensured all the proper equipment was secure and ready to rescue a dummy 50 feet below.

The high angle rescue was one of several scenarios Airmen were trained on during the Rescue Technician 1 training.

Two instructors from the United States Air Forces in Europe Fire Academy's Rescue Technician training course at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, came here and trained 12 firefighters. The class graduated Aug. 9 after three weeks of classroom instruction and realistic scenarios that evaluated each student's ability to apply procedures and techniques learned.

"This course increases our department's level of response by providing more rescue technician level firefighters on an incident," said Matthew Amann, 6th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Emergency Services Flight training chief. "The course greatly strengthens the services provided to the installation and surrounding communities."

Areas of instruction included rope rescue, surface water rescue awareness, confined space rescue, and National Incident Management System familiarization.

"Our class incorporates a little bit of everything like urban rescue," Staff Sgt. Justin Bunton, USAFE Fire Academy instructor. "We train for confined spaces, like if a building ever collapsed or if we had to go into a manhole to get to somebody.

"We teach them a little bit of everything so they're ready for whatever situation is thrown at them."

The importance of this training is that it provides personnel with advanced technical rescue skills such as rappelling, high-angle and low-angle operations and confined space rescue.

The firefighters selected for this course had to meet the minimum certifications of Firefighter I and II, Emergency Medical Responder with CPR and additional selection elements where the individuals demonstrated technical proficiencies.

While the firefighters successfully completed the course, they will continue to train on a monthly basis. Annually firefighters are evaluated on their skills for recertification.

"They did outstanding," said Amann. "Their professionalism and dedication throughout this demanding course made me extremely proud."

"They reinforced the values of MacDill AFB Firefighters - 'Proud in the service we provide, Confident in our ability to save lives, protect property and the environment, and Dedicated to the people we serve'."