FIRE! Team Travis, Beale local firefighters 'burnin' down the house'

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Cindy Alejandrez and Ellen Hatfield
  • 349th Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Firefighters. When others run out, they instinctively run in. It takes great teamwork, something we learn in the Air Force.

When the opportunity was there, firefighters from Team Travis and Team Beale partnered with firefighters from several local communities, to conduct training at two off-base sites April 5 and 6. Twenty-five Airmen from the 349th and six from the 60th Civil Engineer Squadrons, joined nearly 30 Airmen from the 940th and 9th CES and firefighters from the cities of Vacaville, Fairfield, Dixon, Winters, Suisun City and Benicia for training to gain additional hands-on experience, and reinforce connections within the neighboring groups.

The firefighters practiced safety survival tactics, ladder and hose evolutions, fire attack and ventilation tactics, and other types of drills at the Dixon Fire Department. The Vacaville FD used pallets, straw and paper to create fires inside a house within the city limits, to provide the teams with a realistic burn scenario.

Staff Sgt. Steven Bias admitted that he had just graduated the Louis F. Garland DoD Fire Academy, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, at the age of 49. "I've checked my times for these drills, and they're better than some of the young guys," he said, grinning. Away from the fire, he's a civilian deputy sheriff in Long View, Calif.

"There is great value in strengthening relationships with our mutual aid partners, and through coordinated training, we are able to provide and learn new fire ground operations and life-saving tactics," said Senior Master Sgt. Shawn Conway, fire chief, 349th CES. "Not so long ago, Travis AFB experienced catastrophic fire damage to base facilities, where we depended upon a number of area fire departments to assist with control and extinguishment. We are proud of the fact that those same partners will be joining us for this initiative, as we continue to promote public relations for the base populace, and surrounding communities."