Grissom Fire brings reservists, civilians together to save lives

Published Oct. 11, 2013
By Staff Sgt. Andrew McLaughlin
434th ARW Public Affairs

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- From battling fires to rendering emergency services, Grissom's firefighters are always ready to answer the call of saving lives.

Like many Air Force Reserve fire departments, the Grissom Fire Department is comprised of both civilian and military reservist firefighters, but what makes the GFD so special is the teamwork the two sides have as they live, work and train together to protect the base as well as the local community, said Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Groszek, 434th Civil Engineer Squadron fire chief.

"Our primary responsibility is to protect and support the flying mission," explained Kleim L. Tomlinson Jr., Grissom assistant fire chief, but added that both sides of the department are responsible for a lot more.

Besides their 24/7, 365-day-a-year mission of always being ready at a moment's notice to extinguish aircraft and structural fires, the GFD is also responsible for providing emergency medical services, hazardous material handling, confined space rescue, structural protection and building inspection at the Hoosier base.

However, their life-saving endeavors don't end at Grissom's fence line as the GFD maintains mutual-aid agreements with the local community, allowing some of the region's best trained emergency managers to respond off base in the most critical situations, explained Tomlinson.

The GFD's role in the north-central Indiana community is also vital as it maintains the only hazardous materials response team and the only technical rescue team in Miami and Cass counties, said John Ireland, GFD fire chief.

And, in a rural community along a major highway, using those mutual-aid agreements to respond to life-threatening situations, where time is precious, saves lives.

"It's important to get there quickly because every second counts," explained Tomlinson.

Since 2005, the GFD has responded to more than 2,800 off-base mutual-aid requests, but that's not the only way the department has supported the community.

Using its aircraft fire training simulator, which can be set ablaze using propane, the GFD is able to train other regional fire departments on live-fire aircraft response. These agencies include the Indianapolis International Airport, Purdue University, Ft. Wayne City, Indiana National Guard, Delaware County and Columbus fire departments, ensuring they remain Federal Aviation Administration certified.

"We have a very good training facility," said Tomlinson. "The aircraft mock-up is the best training the world can offer as it gives the realism of having live fire while maintaining safety through external control."

The GFD has also provided agencies, such as the Kokomo, Ind., Police Department's special weapons and tactics team, with rope and technical training.

It's important to note that the mutual-aid agreements are just that -- mutual, said Tomlinson as he explained that in the event of a large-scale emergency on base, first responders from the local community would assist Grissom if needed.

And, just as the community and base work together for the common good, so do the two sides of the GFD, explained Groszek.

Grissom's civilian firefighters are here full-time to protect the base, while the military fire fighters, who are also fully capable of base protection, are primarily here to train for deployments, added the reserve fire chief.

At regular Air Force bases, military and civilian fire fighters inherently work together to provide base protection, explained Tomlinson, adding that is not usually the case at Air Force Reserve bases, where roles are usually more separated.

"We choose to be more integrated," he continued. "There is more cohesiveness between the two units."

A big part of that choice to work hand-in-hand as one team stemmed from the benefits both sides receive from the relationship.

"There are opportunities to train and learn together and share experiences," said Tomlinson, explaining that several reservist firefighters are also civilian firefighters in their local communities. "They bring a lot of external experience we can learn from."

A prime example of this would be Groszek, who draws from his experience as a Chicago Fire Department lieutenant as he leads the reserve firefighters in military training.

And, because of their close relationship, the GFD's military firefighters routinely perform the duties of their civilian counterparts, and its civilian firefighters will often participate in training with the military.

Over the years, the Air Force Reserve's seasoning training program has helped breed this synergistic relationship, said Groszek.

During the 9-month program, new military firefighters live, eat, sleep and work alongside their civilian counterparts as they receive their initial upgrade training, making them fully deployable Air Force firefighters.

"We learn everything to become proficient firefighters," said Senior Airman Kenneth W. Pinaire Jr., 434th Civil Engineer Squadron fire protection apprentice, who is participated in the training program. "The civilians are very helpful with providing us hands-on training."

"(The seasoning trainees) get practical, hands-on training they wouldn't get otherwise," said Senior Master Sgt. Aaron Dehner, 434th CES assistant fire chief, who is also holds the rank of captain on the GFD's civilian side. "The nature of firefighting requires experience."

Dehner also explained that often times, reservists have additional military duties that can distract from their role as firefighters, so seasoning training allows new Airmen to focus on core firefighting skills and get experience with real-life emergencies.

The Department of Defense Fire Academy trains all DOD military and civilian firefighters at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. New military firefighters are taught to be first responders at the school, and afterward, many train to become emergency medical technicians.

While reservists go through entry-level training, all GFD civilian firefighters are required to have prior experience, and most have military experience, explained Tomlinson.

"All of our personnel are fully trained when they come in," he said.

The 434th CES at Grissom is part of the 434th Air Refueling Wing, the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Grissom is also home to three Army Reserve units and a Marine Corps Reserve communications detachment.

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Grissom Fire brings reservists, civilians together to save lives

Public Affairs Staff