ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
There is a saying about 'being in the trenches,' but for some Team Andrews members, it is not just a saying, and could mean the difference between life and death. Simply put, should an Andrews member ever find themselves stuck in a trench, they will want the 316th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Emergency Services Flight there to save them.
While many Team Andrews members may be enjoying the coolness that an air-conditioned building has to offer, Andrews firefighters are out in 90-plus degree heat, shoring up the perimeter of an eight-foot deep trench and are undergoing first-rate firefighter training.
Team Andrews is currently hosting a Regional Rescue Technician Course at the Andrews Fire Training Center for Excellence for both military and civilian fire training personnel by the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute. The trench class is one session of a six-part, 45-day training session, which also incorporates vehicle and machinery rescue, technical ropes and knots, high- and low-angle rescue, confined space rescue and swift water rescue. At the end of the technical rescue course, 20 National Capital Region Airmen, Marines and Sailors will earn the nationally-recognized "Rescue 1 Certification," from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress.
"We've been in the process of upgrading the facilities here, and as of this year, Andrews is one of the premier training bases for fire departments in all of the military," said Airman 1st Class Scott Dulebohn, 316 CES assistant training manager.
Master Sgt. Phillip Winkelmann, 316th Civil Engineer Squadron, assistant chief of training added, "In addition to having the foremost facility in the entire DoD, this training is one of only two certified rescue courses offered in the Air Force."
As part of the trench class, a T-shape ditch is dug that is eight-feet-deep by 10-feet-wide on the top and 20-feet-long by eight-feet-deep.
Sergeant Winkelmann said this is the first time the entire course is offered at Andrews.
Though the course is demanding, the benefits are immeasurable.
"This training course is by far the most prolific training a firefighter can have - it is both mentally and physically demanding. In each and every scenario, they are required to accomplish the physically demanding task while maintaining a mental alertness to make decisions that will impact lives. It's intense," Sergeant Winkelmann explained.
The trench class is important in cases where the ground collapses either by natural or manmade causes.
"It is not uncommon for trenches to collapse for a variety of reasons, and this training is as advanced as it gets in the Air Force for a firefighter - it's just part of our job as firefighters to accomplish these tasks if the unthinkable should happen, we will be ready," said Airman Dulebohn.
The trench class is one which hits home for those have been on base long enough to recall the unfortunate death of a contractor who died due to a trench construction-related mishap in 2007.
"All you have to do is look around the base to see the amount of construction that happens every day. We have people digging trenches to put in water pipes or laying fiber optics. Given all the construction, this training is incredibly timely," Sergeant Winkelmann said.
The first day of the trench class is primarily classroom work covering terminology, and the rest of the nine days of the class are spent in the trench at the Andrews Fire Training Center for Excellence, located on the east side of the base.
"We need to be at the top of our game for anything and everything that can occur out there - our goal is to give Team Andrews members the confidence to know that if the unthinkable should happen, we are trained and ready to come get them," Airman Dulebohn said.
"Through this training, we're learning techniques for real life scenarios. Team Andrews firefighters have to train like someone's life depends on it ... because it does," Sergeant Winkelmann said.
For more information, contact Andrews Fire Emergency Services at 301-981-4986.