316th CES brings the heat for quarterly fire training

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.  –   Members from the 316th Civil Engineer Squadron and 193rd Special Operations Wing came together for a simulated live fire-fight training here, May 2, 2022.

During the exercise, 24 firefighters were split into multiple teams, with one team extinguishing fires and the remaining teams on standby. Teams extinguished a controlled fire on a large frame aircraft trainer, which was set up to simulate an aircraft engulfed in flames. The teams then pivoted to their structural fire trainer to simulate extinguishing fires in a burning building.

“We simulated an exercise where an aircraft was on fire with victims inside,” said Anthony Hawkins, 316th CES assistant chief of operations. “We went and fought our ground fires first, created a rescue path to the wing of the aircraft, made entry into the fuselage and toward the flight deck, then we rescued any pilots or co-pilots.”

Col. Tyler Schaff, 316th Wing and installation commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Ezekiel Ross, 316th Wing command chief, participated in the training to show appreciation and enhance their understanding of firefighting operations.