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Grand Forks military, civilian firefighters participate in joint exercise

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ryan Sparks
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Members of the Grand Forks Fire Department participated in a joint live aircraft rescue firefighting (ARF) exercise here from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3, 2015.

The GFFD and the Grand Forks Airport Fire Department teamed up with the Grand Forks AFB Fire Department to learn proper ARF techniques. The Grand Forks AFB FD created scenarios using its ARF training site.

The training site functions like a large gas grill. The Grand Forks AFB FD controls the fuel supply and ignites the fire from a control tower at a safe distance. They have a safety switch that will immediately shut down the exercise in case of a true emergency.

James Mozey, 319th Civil Engineer Squadron lead firefighter, said the goal for the exercise was to show the proper techniques needed to put the fire out. He said that the only way to actually stop the fire in the training area was to cut off the fuel supply.

The scenario practiced during the week focused on an aircraft fire that had yet to break through to the inside of the aircraft. The control tower would ignite the fire and then make a distress call to the trucks waiting in the staging area. The truck that received the emergency call was responsible for responding to rescue side of the aircraft, while the second responder served as a backup and covered the non-rescue side. Anderson said there are plans for different scenarios in future training exercises.

Capt. Dennis Strom, GFFD, said sharing resources and manpower is beneficial for both sides.

"It's a wondrous joint venture," said Strom. "It's good to have a coalition between the city and the base."

David Anderson, 319th CES assistant fire chief of operations, feels this training is vital to the preparation of the two departments.

"The two departments have been working together training and responding to emergency responses for about the last year," said Anderson. "There is nothing that can replace great hands-on training to prepare fire crews working at the scene of an emergency incident. The way you train reflects directly on how you perform in a real world emergency."

Anderson said at times the departments may be required to work together to respond to an emergency.

"It creates a great partnership, additional resources and additional manpower in order to operate emergency response effectively, efficiently and safely," said Anderson.

"It's really beneficial for the city department and us to come out here and train," said Mike Wilkins, Grand Forks Airport operations airport rescue and firefighter. "Without the base, this type of hands-on training wouldn't be possible."

The training helped prepare the GFFD for emergencies and also met the annual training requirement for the Grand Forks AFB FD.

Anderson said he hopes that this partnership will continue to blossom over time.

"In this last year we have built a great relationship between the two departments and enjoy working, training and responding to emergencies together," said Anderson. "Both departments have the same common goal to protect and save lives, protect and preserve property and the environment, serve our community and come home safe at the end of our shifts. We are definitely looking forward to continuing this partnership and to build upon it for years to come."