482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
1/20/2015 - HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. -- Homestead's Fire Flight teamed-up Jan. 8 with Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue instructors for challenging training focused on survival techniques.
The training included navigating through a building blind, locating a safe exit using a fire hose, the Denver Drill, which is a technique taught to firefighters because of a firefighter who lost his life in Denver, and working through confined spaces.
The Fire Flight is a specialty team within the 482nd Civil Engineering Squadron Prime BEEF (base engineer emergency force). The unit is composed of civil engineer forces organized for direct combat support or emergency recovery from natural disasters.
Upon arrival, the reservists were divided into two teams and given a safety briefing. Each team went to a separate area of training and rotated through the different stations.
One of the stations was a mock apartment building. The instructor walked the team through the drill verbally before everyone suited up and broke into pairs.
Each pair put on full proximity gear with a face-covering mask, blinding them so they couldn't see in the darkened building. The blindness simulated heavy smoke obscuring their vision, and the pairs had work together using their tools, hands and each other to safely navigate through the apartment without becoming disoriented. The drill ended when the instructors yelled, "You're out of air ... you have 20 seconds to get out!" In 20 seconds, the pair scrambled to locate the window and jump out.
"This drill is to help them learn the importance of staying oriented in any environment," said Capt. Elvin Gonzalez, Miami-Dade County fire instructor. "It's hard to imagine how disorienting it is to be crawling around in full gear in a structure you've never been in without being able to see. If you get disoriented, you don't know how to get out if things get hot or you run out of air."
The next training station was similar, but for a different purpose. Each team was taught how to locate the hose and use it to determine which direction would lead them safely back to the fire truck.
After the team regrouped from the fire hose challenge, they transitioned to a large room full of obstacles. The instructors demonstrated various ways to get through different obstacles, describing when they might encounter them in a real world scenario.
"This training helped build my confidence and taught me to not be claustrophobic," said Staff Sgt. Alvaro Casado, Fire Flight fire protection technician. "Now I know when I get into that kind of situation to relax and think it through, not to panic."
Among the obstacles was a large box full of wires and string that each person had to successfully crawl through, not getting themselves or equipment tangled. Each obstacle presented a unique problem. For instance, one obstacle was small and triangle-shaped forcing the individual to contort their body and plan where to place their tank. Another was a small, smooth cylinder tube.
"The tube was probably the hardest because it was tight and there was nothing to grip," said Senior Airman Angelo Viniegra, Fire Flight fire protection technician.
After a challenging morning filled with instruction and drills, both teams took a much-needed lunch break and prepared for learning the Denver Drill and going through the maze.
Lt. Kory Kiper, Miami-Dade County fire instructor, explained that a firefighter from Denver lost his life because the area he went down in was too small for his team members to maneuver his body into a life-saving carrying position to get him out.
Kiper said after that event, this technique was created to save lives in the future.
At the instructor's direction, team two went straight to the maze.
The maze was a room full of obstacles the Airman crawled through in full gear, wearing oxygen tanks, but without a light source to guide them.
They worked in pairs to get out safely before running out of air.
"Most of our Airmen have never dealt with confined spaces, so this is critical survival training because if a building collapses, and you haven't trained, you won't know how to react, you may panic and die," said Chief Master Sgt. Lorenzo Gardner, Fire Flight chief. "We want to put them through this type of intense training so they'll know how to handle the situation if it happens to them."
Prime BEEF personnel are a rapid response expeditionary force. The training they received prepares them for future deployments or to assist locally in emergency situations.
"This class was very professional, second to none," added Gardner. "The instructors obviously loved their job and were very knowledgeable."
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