FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY,Iraq -- Soldiers face a myriad of threats and extreme circumstances in everyday operations in Iraq, but one thing they don't usually expect is the threat of a fire in their work or living space. On the forward operating base in eastern Baghdad, however, one group of Soldiers has began learning to fight against the heat, destructive power and danger of fires on the FOB.
More than 20 Soldiers have volunteered to undergo a 10-week firefighting certification course to serve FOB Loyalty as the fire rescue team.
The Basic Firefighter and Hazardous Material Level One Course is taught to Soldiers from every unit on the FOB serving in the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
Capt. Justin P. Hurt, the chemical and force modernization officer for the brigade, is coordinating the course. Before joining the military, he was a professional firefighter for four-and-a-half years in Wisconsin. He also served as a paramedic and a police officer. He taught Firefighter Level I and II courses and hazardous material operations at a technical college to more than 300 fire candidates.
"It's about helping people out," Hurt said. "There is nothing quite like the expression on somebody's face when you get in, put out the fire and save someone's child or loved one."
Hurt, a native of Menomonee Falls, Wis., said the response for the course was overwhelming. He initially sought out 16volunteers, but ended up with 23.
"It is somewhat of a rush, it's exhilarating," Hurt said. "You are going up against one of the most destructive forces in nature. I think that draws a lot of people."
The idea to create a fire department and certify a group of Soldiers stems from several fires that have occurred on the FOB.
"We really started looking at having some kind of fire protection, or group, after the large U.S. Army Corps of Engineers electrical yard fire back in December," he said.
"Since then we've had four other fires on the FOB that Soldiers have had to put out without any formal training."
The training the Soldiers are receiving through the course, comes from the doctrine of the International Fire Service Training Association, which is affiliated with Oklahoma State University and helps develop the standards for firefighting training in the United States, Hurt said.
Soldiers in the course will learn how toconduct search and rescue missions, use proper ventilation for a smoke-filled building, and put out fires with hoses and extinguishers.
They will also cover pump operations,ladders, hydrants, sprinkler systems, HAZMAT and decontamination, dealing with fire related injuries, overhaul and salvage, and arson and fire investigation.
"I think they have really enjoyed what they have learned so far," Hurt said. Hurt said the students listen to lectures and also carry out exercises, but also must pass tests and receive a passing performance evaluation to graduate.
Hurt's assistant instructors include Chief Petty Officer Jonathan D. Dupree, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a former Navy firefighter; Capt. David DeBlasio, a surgeon from 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 John L. Blanton, 2nd IBCT's aviation tactical operations officer, who will cover the aspects of extinguishing aviation fires.
Hurt is in the process of trying to acquire firefighting equipment such as the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), a fire truck, and other equipment. Hurt is also working with Wackenhut Services, the group that runs the professional fire department on Victory Base Complex, to help with training.
"I am really looking forward to implementing this and hopefully we can get the firefighting equipment we need to protect the Soldiers and civilians on the FOB," he said.Capt. William C. Holley Jr., a Fire Inspection Officer with Wackenhut Services, has come to FOB Loyalty to help get the fire department running, and thinks the firefighting program enables Soldiers to be the first line of defense until a professional fire department is established.
Holley, of Fort Worth, Texas, has been a firefighter for 21 years and is a retired Air Force firefighter. For Holley, the thrill of firefighting is helping people. "I love every aspect of it, but I really love the fact that when people are in trouble and need help, they call us to come and help out," he said. "My goal is, through fire prevention programs, to increase the public education on fire safety and eliminate the firerisk in the buildings."
The prevention programs will be offered to all base agencies, including military, Army and Air Force Exchange, Kellogg, Brown & Root employees and local nationals. Holley said the Soldier firefighters are getting great training but once a fire department of professional firefighters is fielded they won't have to be the primary individuals to combat fires. However, their training will enable them to be prepared for and assist in fighting fires, and is knowledge they can take with them elsewhere.
"It is a critical resource that we didn't expect to need," said Lt. Col. Dean C. Dunham, the deputy commanding officer for 2nd IBCT. Dunham, a Cottonwood, Ariz. native, said the firefighting course adds to the capabilities the unit already has on hand. Staff Sgt. Timothy C. Ullman, the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical noncommissioned officer and a native of Kearney, Neb., is skilled in using the SCBA and will be helping Hurt instruct the class on the proper usage of breathing equipment. The training the class offers, Ullman said is good and as realistic as can be without setting fire to a building.
The training will help Soldiers prepare for the real deal. During one fire, Capt. Daniel B. Dunn, the executive officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd IBCT said, was at the interpreters' living quarters, and when he went in he found an interpreter lying on the floor unconscious. Dunn said the man had soot around his nose and mouth, which meant he had inhaled it. He also knows first hand what it's like to be the victim of a fire since he lost everything when his room was engulfed by a fire several months ago.
"It's very important to get this program together so others wouldn't be affected," he said of the creation of the fire department. One appeal is the aspect of helping and protecting others, which Dunn said is something he takes to heart.
"It says a lot about people when they run into a building when everyone else is running out," he said.
Pfc. Justine-Tea Phelan, a medic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion and a native of Plymouth, Mass., said she volunteered for the course because it's an excellent training experience. She wanted to learn about firefighting and to help out on the FOB if any more fires occur. During a recent search and rescue exercise, she and fellow medic, Pvt. Heaven L. Gallop, brought the victim out, played by Dunn, and went into their medical role and evaluated the casualty. Gallop, a medic, is a native of Winston- Salem, N.C., said that the hands-on-training is the best part of the course because it enables the students to apply what they learned in the classroom setting.
"I was the first volunteer," she said. Hurt spoke with Gallop at the aid station after a fire. "He mentioned (the program) and I wanted to join. It's another notch on my belt, like First Aid. You can go anywhere and do anything with it."
"Ultimately, it's about Soldiers helping and protecting other Soldiers," Hurt stated.
