Speed and expertise key to 944th firefighters training success

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joshua Nason
  • 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Arizona --  It's a sight that nobody in the Air Force wants to see.  Emergency response trucks racing to the flightline while a lone fighter jet sits with an unresponsive pilot in the cockpit yet this is something that Air Force firefighters constantly train for.

One such training was conducted by 20 firefighters from the 944th Civil Engineering Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, during the August UTA.

"This is the type of training that we need to remain proficient in as these are situations we could face not only at Luke, but also in a deployed location," explained Senior Master Sgt. Adam Ura, 944th Civil Engineering Squadron fire emergency services deputy chief.

The aircraft egress training conducted, specifically focused on responding to an emergency that required the immediate removal of an unresponsive pilot from the aircraft. 

In a flurry of activity, multiple vehicles from the fire department quickly responded to the aircraft, sprayed down any possible fire hazards, and immediately dispatched firefighters to get into the cockpit and remove the pilot. 

The speed and expertise of the firefighters was evident to Maj. Peter Cossette, 944th Fighter Wing chief of inspections, and the Airmen playing the role of the unresponsive pilot. 

"I was very impressed to see just how much they knew about my aircraft," said Cossette who is also an F-16 instructor pilot. "Before I knew it, the locked canopy was open, the engine was shut down, and I was lifted out of the aircraft and down the ladder."

The training, conducted twice a year, proved to be a success in the eyes of the firefighters as well. 

"Our guys operated safely, and with a sense of urgency," said Master Sgt. Ryan Kemp, 944th Civil Engineering Squadron, fire emergency services assistant chief of training. "There were no showstoppers such as ladder slips or broken hoses.  There were definitely a lot of smiles from our guys today after the successful extraction."