Little Rock Airman supports fire protection efforts at Southwest Asia base

Published Aug. 25, 2010
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Airman 1st Class Justin Denno is an Air Force firefighter or fire protection journeyman deployed to 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron fire department, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia.

Airman Denno is deployed from the Air Mobility Command's 19th Civil Engineer Squadron, 19th Airlift Wing, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.

As an emergency responder, Airman Denno and his fellow firefighters are responsible for protecting billions of dollars of Air Force assets and personnel for the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing from fire.

Air Force firefighters, according to their career field description, are required to plan, organize and direct fire protection activities. They are also required to be knowledgeable on fire safety and prevention and capable of fire response to control and extinguish aircraft, structure, wildland and miscellaneous fires. To do all those tasks, firefighters also have to be capable to drive or operate and be certified on numerous types of fire response vehicles and equipment.

Other skills firefighters like Airman Denno possess, the job description states, include executing and enforcing the Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program and conducting and evaluating training on specialized fire protection equipment and procedures.

Firefighters also perform inspections and organizational maintenance on fire protection vehicles, equipment and protective clothing and they manage and operate fire alarm communications centers. They also support the electrical power production function with resetting aircraft arresting systems.

Furthermore, in providing fire prevention guidance, firefighters like Airman Denno perform project reviews to ensure fire safety feature adequacy and they inspect facilities and identify fire hazards and deficiencies. For fire safety, firefighters also determine fire extinguisher distribution requirements and perform inspections and maintenance and establish public relations and conduct fire prevention awareness and educational training on fire prevention.

The job description shows Air Force firefighters like Airman Perry also have to maintain mandatory job knowledge in many areas to include the fire department mission and organization, safety requirements and objectives, fire alarm and communications, fire behavior, portable fire extinguishers and personal protective clothing and equipment. They also have to know about forcible entry, ventilation, ropes, ladders, fire hose appliances and streams, foam fire streams, fire control, salvage, overhaul, emergency medical care and cardiopulmonary resuscitation as well as rescue, water supplies and sprinklers, hazardous materials, fire prevention and public fire education and fire cause determination.

According to the wing's Web site, the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing is "one of the largest, most diverse expeditionary wings in the Air Force," providing combat airpower and support for operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. The wing and its associate units operate more than 100 aircraft, making the base a large hub for humanitarian airlift activity while providing mission-essential combat power, aeromedical evacuation and intelligence support for three theaters of operation.