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Airmen use emergency vehicles for rescue ops

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Rachel Sherburne
  • 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) --  With 35-inch tires and an 8.5-inch rock crawling lift kit, he could easily run over a Honda Civic.

But Staff Sgt. Jonathan Gengnagel’s vehicle is a means to save and protect, not destroy.

Although Hurricane Katrina has incited many people to volunteer and donate their time to help those suffering in its wake, it was an earlier storm that first inspired an Airman to do the same.

In 2003, when rising water from Hurricane Isabel unexpectedly trapped a 72-year-old woman in her Buckroe Beach, Va., home, the 1st Maintenance Operations Squadron maintenance operation controller took matters into his own hands.

Emergency vehicles could not reach the woman’s home, so Sergeant Gengnagel and a friend navigated a modified off-road vehicle through more than 4 feet of water.

With air intake moved up from below the bumper to near the roof, the vehicle safely drove through water, much in the same way a snorkel allows a person to swim underwater.

“The water was up to the middle of my friend’s windows,” said Sergeant Gengnagel, who was able to rescue the stranded woman and bring her to safe, dry land.

After that experience, the sergeant realized his vehicle, though built for off-road pleasure, had a unique ability to help others during natural disasters.

Sergeant Gengnagel, a member of several local off-road vehicle clubs, decided to enroll in an American Red Cross disaster assessment workshop.

Seven fellow members of these local organizations, including two Airmen here, also participated in the class.

Senior Airman Mark Leahy, a 1st Communications Squadron graphic designer, and his wife completed the four-hour class with Sergeant Gengnagel just in time for hurricane season.

The class taught them how to access damage -- particularly damaged houses or individual dwellings. By filling out a detailed form and sending it back to a central point, the Red Cross can identify the hardest hit areas, decide where response teams are most needed to help victims and come up with a financial assessment of the damage.

Airman Leahy compared his volunteer duty to his participation in an exercise.

“During an exercise, certain personnel are first released to evaluate damage after an attack and report those findings to their unit control center,” he said. “That’s what we volunteer to do during a natural disaster.”

After being trained, these volunteers can legally assist other emergency responders during natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, fires or wind storms.

They are also given American Red Cross vehicle decals to identify them as trained volunteers so they can access disaster areas.

A decal is helpful when it comes to being allowed access to disaster areas, but it is their modified vehicles that make reaching these areas a possibility. With four-wheel drive, huge tires and lifts, these off-road vehicles are able to navigate through conditions impossible for sedans. But skill and teamwork are required to be successful behind the wheel.

“Going over a rock is like a ballet -- it takes a lot of agility,” said Sergeant Gengnagel, who relies on Airman Leahy to spot him when he crawls over large obstacles.

“There are times when my truck is leaning so far that I can reach out of the window and touch the ground,” Airman Leahy said.

When not helping others, Sergeant Gengnagel and Airman Leahy enjoy the thrill of riding through the many off-road parks scattered around Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Their favorite pastime proves a life-saving skill when faced with natural disasters. They can hook up a winch and pull out stranded vehicles, crawl over downed trees to reach seemingly inaccessible areas or cross through flooded roadways.

“Any place that is inaccessible is hit the worst and in most need of help,” Sergeant Gengnagel said. “We want the community to know that while these vehicles are built for enjoyment, we also put them to use to help others.”

Although these Airmen hope this country will never face another natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina, they are trained and ready, and they will be the first ones to volunteer to help.

For more information about how to volunteer through the American Red Cross, people can visit their Web site at www.redcross.org/.