MEDIA CONTEST: Holloman firedogs head into the heat

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ACC MEDIA CONTEST --  There are more than 100 Airmen and civilians who work for the Holloman fire department who do more than fight the extreme dangers of a fire.

"The firefighters are the first responders to medical responses," said Staff Sgt. Adam Fuller, fire protection crew chief for the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron. They are the first people at the scene of an accident. They get the injured ready to be transported downtown.

The fire department also responds to alarm activations, protect aircrew personnel when there is an in-flight emergency and they support NASA air field operations.

Many of the emergency calls the fire department gets are for IFEs, medical responses and car accidents. The average response time is one minute to one minute, 15 seconds to get to the flight line and from one to three minutes anywhere else on base, said Adolph Walters, assistant fire chief for the 49 CES.

When the firedogs are not on a call, they are constantly training. "We do military training and tons of upgrade training," said Mr. Walters. "We have a monthly schedule which includes egress and mobility training and different fire training."

Training for the firedogs is very important. The fire training includes structural, aircraft, vehicle and rescue. The civilians in the fire department participate in the training because they are the people who train the military personnel for deployments, said Mr. Walters. "War-time training involves phase one and phase two exercises and in-house video and hands-on instruction on what to do in convoys."

The firedogs train in the hot New Mexico heat wearing gear that can weigh up to 60 pounds, said Sergeant Fuller. This can help them should they ever deploy to the Middle East. On average the fire department deploys two times a year, said Mr. Walters.
Holloman firefighters, our first responders, are there to help make sure Airmen and their families are not in harms way.

With a schedule of 24 hours on duty and 24 hours off duty, the demands of the job can often be not only grueling, but rewarding.

"I am continually reminded of how important my job is to the people of Holloman and to the Air Force mission," said Airman 1st Class James Wolnik, 49 CES. "There are times that the work is hard and hot, but I love what I do and the people I serve. I'm proud to say I'm a firedog at Holloman."