U.S. Airmen teach Iraqi volunteers to battle blazes

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stacy Fowler
  • 506th Air Expeditionary Group
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  Iraqi Air Force maintenance people are putting down their wrenches and picking up fire hoses. They are under the experienced eyes of Kirkuk Air Base's 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters here.

For firefighters of the Iraqi Air Force, walking into an inferno on an already warm day is an experience still rather new.

"The majority of the Iraqi firefighters have never been to a formal fire academy and have never been part of a fire department," said Staff Sgt. Carlos Bosch, a 506th ECES firefighter. "We are here to ease their transition and help them enhance their job knowledge and professional skills."

The Iraqi firefighters' training began in April with basic principles of fire and fire behavior training, along with rudimentary fire attack procedures to fight the flames, Sergeant Bosch said.

"Initial training included a lot of classroom basics, as well as a large amount of practical application with equipment such as state-of-the-art vehicles, breathers and protective clothing," said Marine Maj. Waylan Cain, Squadron 3 Iraqi Air Force lead adviser.

Training continued in June with personal protective equipment, breathing apparatus, proper use of discharge patterns for fire control and some live-fire training exercises.

"Both departments work well together, and the Iraqis showed a real thirst for knowledge," Sergeant Bosch said. "They performed exceptionally well during the live fires."

The plan, according to Major Cain, is to have training for these new firefighters at least once a month to keep them and their equipment prepared.

"Firefighting is a very perishable skill," Major Cain said. "You need repetition to try and make these abilities more instinctive. We also have a couple of these multi-million dollar trucks that we need to keep functional."

While there have been challenges to the training, they are not insurmountable.

"Our major challenge is the language barrier. Sometimes an Arabic word just doesn't have an equivalent English translation, and sometimes the English words can't fit into Arabic," Major Cain said. "But there are other forms of communication: pointing to the equipment, using hand signs and other non-verbal cues to let them know what you're trying to say. We also have an excellent bilingual, bi-cultural adviser who translates for us.

"Anything can be overcome through teamwork," he said.

Another challenge is the differences in equipment, Sergeant Bosch said, and the occasional difficulty that arises when American firefighters are trying to create scenarios that their Iraqi counterparts will see during their time as firefighter.

"One of our career's biggest sayings is ‘adapt and overcome,'" Sergeant Bosch said. "This is most certainly put to the test with this training."

Several of the firefighters who are going through training now might be asked to transfer into firefighting full-time when the Iraqi Air Force takes control of Kirkuk in the future, Major Cain said.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see several of the men here, especially the best ones of the group, become firefighters when the Iraqis come in," Major Cain said. "They're going to be the ones with the experience, as well as have the knowledge of the equipment and the knowledge of the area."

The Air Force firefighters' ultimate goal is for the Iraqi Air Force fire department to transition to a self-sufficient force.

"Their training is just another example of how we can help ease their transition and enhance better communication for future joint responses between American and Iraqi firemen," Sergeant Bosch said.