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Airmen, Soldiers extinguish flames at fire muster

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eric Summers Jr.
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Airmen and Soldiers learned what life as a firefighter is all about during a rotational fire muster, Oct. 8, at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

The muster, a friendly competition hosted by the fire prevention section of the 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department, pitted 20 teams comprised of Airmen from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Combined Air and Space Operations Center and partner units, in head-to-head challenges.

Eight events tested competitors speed, efficiency and skills in mock firefighting tasks.

"It's a really good example of a challenge that the firefighters run called the toughest two minutes in sports, the firefighters combat challenge," said Staff Sgt. Richard Durstine, 379 ECES fire prevention section, deployed from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. "This is just a baby course to let people know what it's like to be a firefighter."

The mental and physical endurance of the contestants were put to the test while completing different obstacles including a dummy drag, tire sledge and hose pack carry.

"We kind of figured, knowing that it was the firefighters that were doing this, it was going to be really challenging," said Airman 1st Class Rachel Lucas, Detachment 1, 609th Air Communications Squadron, who is deployed from the 112th Air Operations Squadron in State College, Pa. "It gets more and more strenuous as you go. I didn't have to do the bucket dump or anything, but I could see that the guys were struggling toward the end."

The competitive event also provided an avenue for building camaraderie.

"It's been great, it's a lot of fun and it's nice to be able to show a little friendly competition and see people from all over the base," Lucas, a native of Tower City, Pa., said. "It's a chance to get away from work, have some fun and do something different than the regular [physical training] that everyone is used to."

Durstine, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., agrees.

"It's a real good way to get the whole base involved," he said. "We had the CAOC (Combined Air and Space Operations Center), a bunch of 379th guys and even the Army was out here. It was a good opportunity for everybody to mingle," he added.

The fire muster takes place each six-month rotation and is a vehicle to help deter the loss of Airmen, assets and infrastructure by raising fire prevention awareness around the base.

"Fire prevention is the way that we keep everybody safe to start off," said Durstine. "If it was possible, we would rather not respond to any fires at all."