Post by LarryK on May 19, 2005 14:56:22 GMT -5
Marine firefighters practice putting out fuel blazes
Submitted by: MCAS Miramar
Story Identification #: 2005517164916
Story by Lance Cpl. James B. Hoke
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. (May 12, 2005) -- Giant columns of flames swirled into the sky 50 feet above the Marines' heads as they pushed toward a burning, downed aircraft.
With the Miramar flightline as a backdrop May 11, the Marines of Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, trained to battle dangerous aircraft fuel blazes.
"We conduct training with ignited aircraft fuel spills every two weeks at least," said Sgt. Warren N. Anderson, crew chief, ARFF. "It is a live burn and uncontrolled. It helps you prepare by knowing how the fire will react when you do certain things."
The training also helps Marines new to the firefighting occupation get used to the uncertainty of what a fire will do when it is uncontrolled, according to Anderson.
"It was definitely something new," said Lance Cpl. Joseph J. Burnside, hand lineman, ARFF. "I got a little hand line experience today. It was different compared to the fires we did at the fire academy. The fires we did at school were training fires and controlled. The ones we did today weren't controlled, so it is hard to tell what they will do."
As a hand lineman, a large part of Burnside's job is to clear a rescue path to burning aircraft while extending a pressurized hose attached to the rescue vehicle toward the source of the fire.
Because the firefighters train with uncontrolled fires, safety is very important.
"Safety is always a key element when dealing with fire," said Anderson, a Kelso, Wash., native. "There are two teams that go in, which are made of a hand lineman and a backup man. There will be a safetyman directly behind them, a safety in the truck and a man in the turret on the truck."
To further ensure safety, the firefighters wear a special suit to protect them from the flames and heat.
"The suit we wear is made up of three layers," said Anderson. "There is a thermal layer, a moisture layer and the outer shell. The face shield is gold reflective and, from personal experience, it definitely works. You can still get hot inside the suit, but it is not unbearable."
According the Lance Cpl. Robert A. Jackson, hand lineman, ARFF, the suit doesn't make the Marines invincible, so they must rely upon various tactics when dealing with the fire.
"You can still get burned through the suit," said Jackson, a Salem, Ore., native. "That is why it is so important for you to not rush into a fire. You need to take it slowly and push the fire away. That is the goal, to push the fire away from the burning aircraft.
"Our priority is to save lives. It is OK if the concrete is on fire away from the aircraft but (not) near the aircraft," he added.
According to Jackson, training to fight infernos is essential, because a real fire can be extremely unpredictable and uncontrollable.
"You can talk about how you are going to fight a fire all you want," said Jackson, "but until you actually get in there and apply what you have been taught, there is a real big difference. The training is so important because it helps you in real life to anticipate what the fire is going to do.
"We train with real fire to see how the flames are going to spread and how hot it will get. It shows you how dangerous it can actually be if there is an actual aircraft crash or a fuel spill. It is very important to have hands-on training for the whole fire department," he said.
Although their training is significant, the mission of the fire-fighting Marines is a vital one.
"Our job is extremely important with the costs of the aircraft that we deal with and the pilot's depending on us," Anderson concluded. "Although plane crashes might not happen too often - which is a good thing - if something does happen, to not have us there would be catastrophic."
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