SIGNATURE THE
SIGONELLA, SICILY
March 29, 2013
Vol. 30. No. 12
cnic.navy.mil/sigonella
NAS Sigonella FES conducts special training
Firefighters from Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella Fire and Emergency Services conduct a live fire training exercise in front of the fire station on NAS II, March 22. (U.S. Navy photo by MR1 Gary Spence/Released)
bY mC3 CAMERON BRAMHAM NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
F
irefighters from Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella Fire and Emergency Services (FES) Department conducted a live fire training exercise in front of the fire station on NAS II, March 22. “Live-fire training presents the same types of hazards encountered during emergency response operations,” NAS Sigonella FES Assistant Fire Chief - Training Shane Rayfield said. “All Department of Defense FES fire fighters are required to demonstrate their proficiency skills on an annual basis and document them in Enterprise Safety Applications Management System. However, as a planned activity per National Fire Protection Association [NFPA]
1403/1410, this particular training requires a higher standard of care to ensure the safety of participants.” Specific training scenarios were developed using engine fires (inboard, outboard, high tail, or running fuel), exterior fires (pool fires involving fuselage, right or left wing), and interior fires (flight deck, cargo, or passenger compartments). “The Mobile Aircraft Firefighting Trainer (MAFT) provides an opportunity for our Airport Rescue Fire Fighters (ARFF) to train as they’ll fight,” Rayfield said. “It helps the fire fighters prepare for actual events that could occur on and off the flight line.”
FES regularly conducts training using their Mobile Aircraft Firefighting Training Device (MAFTD). MAFTD is a fire simulator that prepares Sailors for an actual flight deck casualty. The skills honed during this training are live-hose handling, ordnance cooling, wheel fire extinguishing techniques, proper donning of the firefighting ensemble, and use of the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). “We are required to conduct live fire training throughout the year to maintain our skills,” Rayfield said. “If everything is on key, we try to burn three to four times a month.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK The less people speak of their greatness, the more we think of it. - Francis Bacon, 1561-1626
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From festivals to traditions, find out how Sicily celebrates.
Meet Sigonella's March Superstar!
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