Air Force Trains Afghan Firefighters in Basic Techniques

According to the U.S. Air Force, the Ali Air Base in Afghanistan just graduated seven Iraqi firefighters from a Basic Firefighter Skills Course that was held on the base.

The six day training was held by the 407^th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Fire and Emergency Services Flight firefighters. Firemen from the province of An Nasiriyah were the ones to receive the training. The course is held and operated with the cooperation of individuals from the Iraqi fire service.

"Our Air Force firefighters are directly supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom by helping them improve the fire services in southern Iraq," said course leader Staff Sergeant DeRon Branch of the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.

The course was pushed down into about twenty hours that is spread out over five days and touches on basic firefighting skills, some live fire training, extrication from a vehicle, search and rescue, and CPR among other medical training. It is truly a basic course that was shrunk down from the original 80 hours in which the Air Force trains.

A selection process was held before the training to eliminate those that were believed not able to complete the training. When training began, the first thing the trainees did was class work, however, that didn't last long, and soon they were out practicing the class work.

"My most memorable experience would be the eagerness each student possessed to become firefighters," said Sergeant Branch. "They were all very hard working."

One Iraqi firefighter mentioned how thankful they were to be given the opportunity to train and learn. He said they plan to take what they learn back and teach it to others. He also mentioned that the next need for the firefighters is the proper equipment to be able to do their jobs right.

"Our mission is to save lives. And after all their training, they looked like they were ready to save lives too." said Staff Sergeant Dan Erickson Jr., a fire protection crew chief with the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.

All members that completed the training were given a certificate and attended a graduation ceremony.