CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan, - Service members, civilians and coalition forces have given up personal time to volunteer their fire-fighting skills to the Camp Phoenix Fire Department.
About 30 personnel stationed here meet twice a week to train in case they need to respond to an emergency fire.
“We want to provide protection to the camp to ensure the safety of the personnel stationed here,” said fire station engineer, Maj. Edward Michels of the South Carolina Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 178th Field Artillery. “If an attack were to happen, we would have to do what we can to extinguish that fire so it wouldn’t cause loss of life.”
The fire station, which has provided support to electrical and range fires is more than five years old and mirrors the set up of a civilian-operated station, said Michels.
Heading the fire station, Sgt. Thomas Singletary, fire chief, 1-178th and Sgt. Michael Hardy, assistant fire chief of Massachusetts Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery, both with prior experience as full-time firefighters in their home states, provide a training program to those who want to be part of the team.
“We provide the volunteer firefighters with training to keep them safe on a fire scene,” said Hardy. “We also show them how to work as a team to effectively put out a fire or rescue injured personnel.”
The training involves practicing search and rescue techniques, interactive hands-on classes where the volunteers learn how to properly hold a water hose, and educational videos.
“We have trained with the French army at Camp Warehouse at a training burn area where we put out fires using the training we have learned,” said Michels. “We also have a tower we use to simulate going into a building. This training helps us get better and faster at our jobs.”
To better assist with the training, the fire department recently obtained new equipment. The volunteers will wear new backpacks that contain a mix of water and foam to help conveniently suppress fire. The other new pieces of equipment are the RKO enterprise fire and rescue units that also hold foam and water, which is installed in the back of utility vehicles.
“The equipment we use will help to effectively put out a fire,” said Pfc. Amy Major, volunteer firefighter from the South Dakota Army National Guard's 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. “It is also convenient for Camp Phoenix, because John Deere Gators are used to travel throughout the camp so the RKO units come in handy."
With the new equipment and the training the volunteers receive, personnel on the Camp Phoenix Fire Department are ready to fight any fire that might come their way.
“I have always had an interest in becoming a firefighter, but I never had the opportunity to do it back home,” said Major. “Now that I am here, I have received great training and now help serve the Camp Phoenix community.”