COLUMBUS, Ohio — Flames shot out from railroad tankers while firefighters aimed steady streams of water to control the situation and keep the flammable liquid inside the tankers from exploding.
The hazardous material fire was one of many scenarios staged for firefighters from the Ohio Army National Guard and their active-duty counterparts during a joint training exercise this summer. Ohio Army National Guard firefighters with the 295th and 296th Engineer Detachments, based in Mansfield, trained with the 513th Engineer Detachment, an active-duty unit out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, at the Ohio Fire Academy in Reynoldsburg.
“Our Soldiers are excited to be here. It gives each of them an opportunity to lead different Soldiers, to lead their own troops, and to go fight some fires,” said 1st Lt. Donald Kidwell, 513th Fire Detachment executive officer.
These types of training events, conducted with civil first responder partners, allow military firefighters to gain valuable experience and increase their proficiency in preparation for responding to real scenarios.
Patrick Beckley, training officer at the Ohio Fire Academy, put the firefighters through their paces, including a search and rescue operation in a burning building.
“They went in with their face pieces taped over so they could not see to find the 285-pound dummy, that is the victim in there, and use their webbing to drag it out,” Beckley said.
For Spc. Brandon Jackson of the 296th, it was an opportunity to focus on firefighting fundamentals that are useful in both his duties as a military firefighter and as a firefighter in Cleveland.
“Being a city firefighter, we do not have as much training because of time constrictions. Here, I can work on the details of being a firefighter,” Jackson said of the joint training exercise.
