Ten AAF Airmen graduate basic firefighter course

Published March 15, 2011
By Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Vladimir Potapenko
438th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Ten Afghan Air Force Airmen graduated from the Basic Firefighter Course during a ceremony held at Pohantoon-e-Hawayee, the AAF's "Big Air School," on the Afghan Air Force Base in Kabul March 14.

The graduation was the culmination of 90 days of intense training that brought the Airmen from firefighting novices to capable firemen schooled in the basics and fundamental principles of firefighting, said Master Sgt. Dion Bullock, a NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan firefighting advisor.

As part of the course, students learned how to properly use damage-control equipment such as saws and the fire hose, executed search and rescue drills and fought live fires, giving them the confidence and muscle memory to repeat the tasks if any real-life scenarios ever called them to, said Sergeant Bullock.

Speaking on the hazards associated with their new line of work, Sergeant Bullock commended the graduating Airmen for stepping up to the challenge of being an Afghan fireman.

"The life of a firefighter is dangerous and requires a lot from an individual, such as sacrificing themselves to save the life of another person. These graduates have taken a pledge to protect people, property and the environment," he said.

On hand for the graduation was Brig. Gen. Mohammad Shafer Baheer, the Afghan Ministry of Defense deputy of natural disasters, who made his way to PeH to stress the importance firefighters serve in Afghanistan's development.

"When disasters happen, people usually run away, but the firefighter stays to battle the disaster and bring relief to the situation," said General Baheer. "We need those people to stay to protect others."

"I was watching the television broadcast about the recent earthquake and natural disasters in Japan, and noticed that the only unit staying to provide support to the situation was the firefighting unit," he added. "You need to be proud of that kind of courage and aid to the community you can provide. You need to be proud because you are serving your suffering nation. Disasters are not going to stop following us as a nation, and the only way to alleviate this problem is to train and maintain proficient and professional firefighters."

Finished with the training their countrymen see as important, the graduating Airmen move on to various units throughout the Afghan National Security Force where they will be expected to help train others on the necessity and practice, said General Baheer.