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Firefighters bring "burning" passion to training mission

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Trevor Tiernan
  • U.S. CENTAF Combat Correspondent Team
KABUL, Afghanistan --  Fighting fires is a dangerous job, especially when working with insufficient equipment and inadequate training.

But a pair of Air Force firefighters deployed to Kabul International Airport are hoping to change that. Master Sgts. Timothy Rickard, deployed from Anderson Air Base, Guam, and Mike Wilkinson, deployed from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., are aiding firefighters from the Afghan National Army Air Corps to bring their fire protection capabilities into the 21st Century.

"We've been on the ground for about three and a half months," said Sergeant Rickard. "They really didn't have much except for a few old Russian trucks and a Swiss fire truck, which was donated recently. They had very little equipment and no protective clothing at all."

The first project the Airmen started on was a thorough assessment of available equipment and personnel. Then the pair began working on budgets, putting standard operating procedures in place and basic firefighter training. But practical training exercises have had the best results, Sergeant Rickard said.

"We're working on the curriculum right now," he said. "We've learned that classroom [training] doesn't work as well as actually getting outside and doing hands-on training. That's how they pick it up the fastest." So fast, in fact, that the air corps fire fighters have already put out three fires on their own since the Air Force mentors arrived.

"That was a big morale boost for them," said Sergeant Rickard.

Assistant Fire Chief, ANAAC Master Sgt. Aman, is pleased with the training his airmen are receiving and hopes for a long relationship with U.S. forces.

"One or two years ago, we knew nothing," he said. "We had trucks but we didn't know how to use them. Now our mentors have trained us and we've learned a lot of things. We hope the training will continue."

As well as teaching the air corps airmen firefighting skills, rescue techniques and even English, the Air Force mentors are also establishing the international donation program, something Sergeant Rickard sees as their biggest accomplishment. The program recently garnered $250,000 from the Danish government and Sergeant Rickard hopes to get other countries around the world involved.

"Fire trucks are our next big push," he said. "We have a couple of other rescue tools and everything else [we need], but getting fire trucks and personal protective clothing are where our efforts are right now."

According to Sergeant Rickard the fire station here is scheduled to be operational in just six months time.

"The fire department's going to be open in April 2008 so our main focus is trying to get that all set up," he said. "Equipment, training and everything else has to be in place when that opens up."

The job is made easier due to the attitude of the air corps airmen said Sergeant Rickard.
"The fire chief has unlimited motivation," he said. "All the firefighters have been great the whole time we've been here. [They're] very motivated, sometimes we have to reign them back a little to keep them from going too fast and injuring themselves, but for the most part it's been great."

"I am happy that the American mentors have come to Afghanistan to help the ANA," said Sergeant Aman. "We are very proud to be helping our corps and very happy."