AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar – Firefighters from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and Qatar Emiri Air Force Fire Department teamed up to participate in a firefighter combat challenge together here on Sept., 7.
Three firefighter teams gathered together to participate in a challenge to test the firefighters’ agility and physical endurance both needed to perform various strenuous fire ground tasks. Three teams, respectively, were from the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s Fire and Emergency Services Flight along with Qatar Emiri Air Force Fire Departments from Al Udeid Air Base and Doha Air Base.
“The Firefighter Challenge is a training tool designed to simulate the rigors and tasks of a typical fire scene,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Darrell Jeffers, deputy chief, 379th ECES/CEF. “By training this way our members are able to identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their overall physical and mental readiness, to perform in the event of an emergency. This type of training builds team work, esprit de corps and morale within the organization.”
Each fire department provided one, four-man team that went through nine challenging stations while wearing their firefighting gear. The individual nine stations provided challenges and memories for those who participated in the firefighter combat challenge.
“Dragging the [training] dummy was the most exiting part of the challenge because when the challenger reaches this stage, which is the final stage, and he has lost most of his strength, but he is also giving out his maximum strength,” said Qatari Emiri Air Force 2nd Lt. Saif Al-Malki, commander of the fire brigade at Al Udeid Air Base.
According to Jeffers, throughout the challenge, all three fire departments came together to encourage, support and render care, if needed, to each other despite wearing the uniforms of different countries and speaking different languages.
“The challenge came out very well and the participants offered the best sense of cooperation besides competition,” said Al-Malki. “They know that in real life he or she will work together because firefighting is a team work that requires great cooperation between firefighters, regardless of their nationalities or cultural background.”