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AuthorTopic: Crash Fire and Rescue, Camp Fallujah Iraq (Read 231 times)
Stretch
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Crash Fire and Rescue, Camp Fallujah Iraq
« Thread Started on Apr 14, 2005, 8:38pm »		[Quote]
[image]
Bunker Gear Drill.
________________________

Crash Fire Rescue ready for calling

April 12, 2005; Submitted on: 04/12/2005 10:46:36 AM ; Story ID#: 2005412104636

By Cpl. Christi Prickett, II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD)



CAMP FALLUJAH,Iraq (April 12, 2005) -- Imagine seeing a flaming vehicle hit by an Improvised Explosive Device along the side of a road in Iraq and people running to find safety amid the chaos. Within minutes, through the black, billowing smoke, a group of well-trained Marines come rolling in, ready to save lives and preserve property.

Nine Marines here are trained for this type of scenario. They are attached to Crash Fire Rescue, Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 of Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Ariz.

Our job consists of three areas. They are off-base responses, on-base responses, including indirect fire, and any airfield responses,” said Gunnery Sgt. Mark E. Dumdie, a Copperas Cove, Texas native.

Training is very important for the Marines in CFR. Bunker gear drills are done twice a day. During these drills, the Marines are required to be at the trucks, change into full gear and be ready to drive away in less than two minutes. Dumdie said the team is averaging close to 45 seconds.

Being familiar with different vehicles, buildings and the specialized tools used during an emergency situation, like the Jaws of Life, is another aspect to the training.

“I make sure the Marines know the in-and-outs of tanks, HMMWVs [high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles] and various buildings around base,” said Dumdie. “That way, we’re ready at all times.”

Dumdie, the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of CFR, has a reason for the hard work he demands. He is the incident commander, which means he assesses the situation and decides how the rescue teams should react.

“We are constantly training,” he said. “How else will we know how to respond at our fullest capability when things are happening all around us? We have to be able to complete the mission.”

Crash Fire Rescue Marines are always on call. They are required to be on the flight line when any type of aircraft comes in, which means late hours and different shifts for the crew.

“If there was an accident and we weren’t already staged near the aircraft, it may take a minute too long coming from the firehouse to the flight line,” said Dumdie.

Crash Fire Rescue Marines work closely with the civilian firefighters on and off camp. Both units show up to lend a helping hand to the other.

“We work well with the contracted firemen. We’re not in competition with each other, but instead, we use each other to get better and get the job done,” Dumdie said.

When the Marines go outside the walls of the camp, things can intensify. However, CFR Marines feel safe because they have armored vehicles.

“The armored vehicles only allow us to do our jobs better. We don’t have to focus on our safety all the time, but the safety of the Marines involved in the accident,” said Cpl. Dustin M. Harris, a fire truck crew chief, MWSS 371, and a South Williamsport, Pa native.

Adrenaline kicks in for some Marines, especially when it’s the first incident.

“I was scared a little my first time out, but I saw everyone else getting the job done, so instinct stepped in,” said Lance Cpl. James G. Miller, a native of Eugene, Oregon.

“We work hard. The job has its down times, but when the sirens go off, we are ready to go,” added Harris.

Click here for story from Marines.mil

(The text says that the vehicle in the above photo is a Humvee, but those of us who spent years on hotspot in a P-19 will recognize that interior anywhere.)

URRAH!!!
« Last Edit: Jun 18, 2006, 8:55pm by Stretch »Link to Post - Back to Top  IP: Logged
USMC Active Duty 1985-1989. K-Bay and various deployments. Called back to Active Duty for Desert Storm 1991. Civilian Structural Firefighter / EMT at your service since 1990.

E-mail: stretchman67@gmail.com
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Re: Crash Fire and Rescue, Camp Fallujah Iraq
« Reply #1 on Apr 15, 2005, 9:28am »		[Quote]
Nice story Stretch, Thank you................LarryK
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Not so Lean...Not so Mean.....But still a MARINE

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