The roof is on fire

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rachelle Elsea
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Smoke billows out the top of a two-story simulated residential home; it is daylight and the windows are pitch black. A team of selfless individuals, dressed in what appears to be aluminum space suits, enters the building...blind.

They are prepared to do whatever it takes to rescue the life-like dummy's trapped inside. For the firefighters attending the only stateside Silver Flag program, this is a normal exercise day and a scenario they may meet in real life.

The program, housed on Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., is the largest and primary training facility of its type. It tests the skills of Air Force active duty, guard and reserve Airmen for seven days on an imitation bare base scenario.

"We see about 28 to 30 classes a year," said John Taipalus, 823rd RED HORSE fire contingency assets program manager. "In each class there is around 200 to 250 Airmen. These classes are comprised of not only firefighters, but also services career fields, civil engineering and many more."

Silver Flag trains the Airmen on the skills they will need to build a base from the ground up.

Staff Sgt. Drew Lamar, one of five 823rd RHS fire protection contingency training instructors, has been with the site for eight months and said it is essential for the firefighters to undergo this training before they deploy.

"It is important because a lot of these guys either haven't deployed or when they do deploy they need to know how to set up a bare base down range," Lamar said. "Most of the bases we deploy to are already built up, but with the Air Force deploying to new regions all the time, it is vital that everyone understands how to set up a base."

Of the several hundred service members who attend the classes, the firefighters make up about 24 of each session.

"We usually see groups from about four to six different bases," Lamar said. "They are comprised of individuals of different ranks and skill levels."

For guardsman, Tech. Sergeant Stentsen Ellenburg, 117th Air Refueling Wing, 117th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, Birmingham, Ala., this was his second time through the training. He also attended the course in 2006, before updates were made to the program.

"I am back this time as an NCO, so I am learning more delegation and looking out for the Airmen," Ellenburg said. "When I was here a few years ago, there really wasn't training for the type of deployments that are taking place currently. Now, the training here is better suited to scenarios we may come up against. They have up-armored vehicle extrication, different types of aircraft emergencies, not only our aircraft, but host nation aircraft, and so on."

Ellenburg, who is also a firefighter outside of the Guard will deploy to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia within the next few months and said the training helped him get back into the swing of things.

The students are not the only key players who value the course.

"We get to give them training they don't normally receive from their home base, including new buildings they can train on, new people they get to work alongside, and even a jet fuel fire, which there is not many places left you can do that," Lamar said. It is just really rewarding to see it all come together and see them succeed."

Just as the Airmen enjoy the course and the instructors value the training, the managers also appreciate the instructors.

"This is the best job in the Air Force," Taipalus said. "I work with the best Airmen in this career field. They are all very motivated and excited about their job."