JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
First responders regularly run toward danger, while others run away from it.
In an effort to better prepare Air Force and other Department of Defense first responders for the dangerous situations they face, JBA installation leaders joined forces with the North Carolina Air National Guard by bringing a two-week Rescue 1 training course here, March 10 - 21.
"The Rescue Technician I course is an advanced course of 12 academic days developed for first responders," Master Sgt. Essam Cordova, JBA 11th Civil Engineer fire fighter, said. "This course includes Rope Rescue, Surface Water Rescue Awareness, High/Low Angle Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, and National Incident Management System (NIMS)."
Service members of various ranks from Maryland and Virginia said they were highly-motivated to take this course.
"I am extremely excited to take this course; it's a lot of fun," said Senior Airman Slater Spencer, Joint Base Langley, Va., 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron driver/operator, said. "Being a fireman is my lifelong dream."
For first responders, courage and stamina are tools of their trade, but proper training can make the difference in saving lives. Rescue Technician I training serves to alleviate doubt when uncertainty arises under pressure.
With his back to the wind at an altitude of 35 feet, Spencer said his first thought was, "I shouldn't be stepping off the side of this building with nothing but this little rope to support me."
After learning all the different techniques, Spencer said repelling is a lot safer than he thought it would be. They also received training on the proper use of the mechanical advantage pulley system; tools that help reduce the weight of a load [victim or another firefighter] during a lowering operation.
"We want the public to know they are in safe hands, and those who provide aid know what they're doing," Spencer said.
The group spent 20 hours total in a classroom at the 11th Civil Engineer Squadron. The rest of the time was spent at the fire training grounds here, getting hands on and increasing their knowledge in a true-to-life setting to hone their skills to meet the challenges at JBA.
Following National Fire Protection Association and Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards, the instructors taught the team of 20-plus service members how to mitigate incidents, implement safety standards, retrieval, and how to rescue victims in high buildings and confined spaces.
Leaders across the 11th Wing identified a confined space training gap and reached to NCANG to fulfill this requirement, Cordova said. By bringing in the Guard, the DOD saved more than $40,000 in temporary duty assignments for this mandatory training.
On March 21, the participants got down in the trenches for a comprehensive evaluation on confined space. Staff Sergeant Brandon Pelkey, NCANG instructor, played the role of the owner of the plant and "called 911" in this simulated mishap.
Five of his "employees" were working to repair pipes at an out of service fuel plant filled with vapors. The power suddenly went out and took out the clean air supplied to them via their supplied air breathing apparatus, or respirator consisting of a full face mask attached by a hose to a freestanding tank.
Before taking on the confined space rescue and recovery mission, a medic team assessed the physical and psychological condition of each member of the three entry teams. As one entry team rotated out to rehabilitate, the next team would head in; giving everyone a chance to experience the search and rescue mission.
During the exercise, Pelkey said the instructors presented three entry teams with every possible challenge for them to execute without providing any assistance. The entry teams were responsible for searching the tunnels and a fuel tanker truck for possible victims.
"We make them think. We don't make it easy on them," Staff Sgt. Brandon Pelkey, NCANG instructor, said. "In some real-life incidents the responders may know exactly where the victims are, but there are other situations where you have no idea."
Every rescue mission is different, he said.
"You have to adjust your tactics and strategy to whatever the situation dictates," Lt. Donald Simms, JBA 11th CES crew chief said." You can go into an operation with a certain mindset, but right in the middle of the operation you may have to change that mindset based on the situation."
The participants used the retrieval system to conduct vertical lift rescue techniques and horizontal techniques to pull the victims out of the concrete tunnels.
"The physical aspect is extremely challenging," Simms said. "Ascending and descending ropes is 90 percent arm strength. If you're not in good physical shape, you're going to have a hard time with this course."
The participants said the course was extremely valuable.
"Through my 20 plus years of being a firefighter, I've been through a number of Air Force classes and outside classes, and so far this has been the best course I've taken," Simms said.