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Expeditionary firefighters save B-1B Lancer

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Clark Staehle
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron fire and emergency services flight here proved they are ready for action at a moment's notice when they responded to a fire on the flight line May 31.

A B-1B Lancer about to take off reported a hot-brake emergency on the flight line, which means its brakes became overheated and were in danger of catching fire.

The 379th ECES fire alarm communications center received the call about the emergency around 11 a.m. Within one minute, the fire department responded with its entire fleet of aircraft rescue firefighting vehicles. Once on scene, quick-attack firefighting lines were deployed to immediately extinguish the sparks helping to minimize any damage to the aircraft caused by excessive heat. Emergency officials also set up a 300-foot cordon with an entry control point around the plane to ensure safety at the scene.

Fire and emergency services Airmen stayed on hand to ensure there were no flare ups.

To help minimize the risk of the fire re-igniting, the crews set up positive pressure ventilation fans to help direct cooler air on the stressed machinery. PPV fans move large amounts of air and help dissipate heat and remove smoke in buildings.

About 25 minutes later, a large fire erupted engulfing the left main landing gear, but was soon extinguished by the fire crews standing by.

"The quick efforts of the Airmen assigned to the fire and emergency services flight helped save the Air Force from the loss of a valuable asset," said Senior Master Sgt. Dale Hankins, 379th ECES installation fire chief. "Within approximately one minute, firefighting crews had the fire under control, and within a minute and a half, the fire was extinguished."

"There is unequivocally no doubt that if it was not for the exemplary actions and expedient response by the Fire and Emergency Services Flight, this multi-million dollar war-fighting platform would have sustained irreversible damage," he said.

B-1s fly about three sorties per day as part of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM providing aerial top cover for ground forces.