Airmen firefighters ascend to new heights in annual training

  • Published
  • By Kiley Swopes
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D --  Firefighters from the 5th Civil Engineer Squadron recently went through an annual three-week training course here at Minot Air Force Base, learning a variety of techniques beneficial to saving lives.

Staff Sgt. Aaron Brackett and Tech. Sgt. David Hagenbuch, Rescue Technician Instructors from the Louis F. Garland Department of Defense Fire Academy at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, came here as part of a Mobile Training Team. MTTs go from base to base offering training that is conducted year round at the Fire Academy.

Airmen were taught low and high angle rescue procedures as well as rappelling-- which included passing a knot in the line, rappelling down to an individual, ascending up a rope, patient pick off rescues, and confined space rescues.

"The most difficult part for most of the guys in the class was ascending up the rope," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Gill, 5th CES crew chief. "[Ascending up] uses two prusik cords; one for your hands and one for your feet to climb the rope."

Aside from physical rescue skills, the course also enhanced how the Airmen effectively worked together as a team.

"Rescue operations require close teamwork and really good communication in order to be successful," Senior Airman Michael Stickner, 5th CES firefighter said. "By the end of the course, we were working together as a really efficient unit."

The National Fire Protection Association is responsible for determining what types of training will be taught, as well as the format the information will be taught in. Instructors and students are held to high standards and are expected to meet specific line items which are identified by NFPA.

Airmen who participated in the training were selected based on rank and their availability. Two individuals from Barksdale Air Force Base, La. as well as two from Arnold Army Base, Tenn., also came to Minot AFB to participate in the training.

"The guys here at Minot completed training Monday through Friday from 0800 to 1600," Gill said. "If after training their shift was scheduled to be on duty, they stayed and continued out the shift and got up and did it all over again."

The MTT provides face-to-face directions in the classroom followed by real life training scenarios similar to situations that Airmen may encounter in the future.

Both instructors' emphasized factors that rescuers will need to adapt and are flexible with during an emergency situation.

"Rescue operations depend on a lot of different factors," Stickner said. "They set us up with some really challenging scenarios all over base, so that we could apply our training in unfamiliar ways."

During these rescue mission scenarios, instructors were able to provide on the spot feed-back to the students. Trainers also utilized safety mechanisms to ensure a controlled environment and to prevent any mishaps during the exercises.

"We've taught them everything they need to know to perform the mission," Brackett said.

Participation in the course is beneficial for Airmen to be the most successful in their line of work while understanding the skills they need.

"The more skills we have as firefighters and rescuers, the better we can serve the base and the community," Stickner said. "As young Airmen, we can use what we learned in rescue class to build on our overall firefighter skill, and eventually pass those skills on to incoming firefighters when we become NCOs."