YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNEWS) --
A hazardous material response exercise here April 30 provided refresher training for some firefighters, while providing the setting for several others to earn a national certification.
The exercise scenario involved a simulated rail car with a leak in the valve head on top of it. The exercise was a refresher for most of the team, who mainly gathered the materials, set up decontamination stations and helped the three Airmen who were testing to gear up, said Master Sgt. Dean Riewald, the Yokota fire department B-shift's assistant chief of operations.
"It's kind of a two-fold exercise," Sergeant Riewald. "We have some personnel undergoing national certification training to be HA technicians, and we have a requirement for our existing technicians and HAZMAT operations personnel to refresh their skills annually."
The exercise did not include victims, and firefighters moved along slowly but surely. Responders must make sure they know what the emergency is so they can bring and wear the correct gear when eliminating the problem. Even when three of the Airmen are testing, the whole crew needs to involve themselves with the exercise.
"Working with other technicians has helped tremendously," said Staff Sgt. Jason Penwell, driver crew chief with the 374th Civil Engineer Flight. "You can rely on them to give you information that you may not have thought of, or maybe the instructor didn't think about right at that second. Another technician can always speak up and give their two cents."
The team successfully stopped the simulated leak, earning the three testers their technician-level HAZMAT certification, a process which also included weeks of classroom instruction and self-study.
Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)
Click here to view the comments/letters page