U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets; firefighters for a day

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Daylena Gonzalez
  • 51st Fighter Wing, Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy joined Osan Air Base's own "Fire Dawgs" for a day here in Korea May 19.

The cadets were experienced Day One of their field training. Field training is, in most cases, a cadet's first exposure to a working Air Force environment. The majority of the cadets who visited are currently majoring in civil engineering, some with a double major to include environmental engineering.

Staff Sgt. Paul Morris, a 51st Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, greeted the cadets, gave them a fire house tour, issued personal protective equipment, assigned the cadets to trucks and performed a vehicle familiarization and safety brief. Once the formalities were complete, it was on.

First up for the eager cadets was the firefighter's physical training exercise. The training, to be completed within eight minutes, consisted of six obstacles and a total of eight tasks: hand-carrying the 'jaws of life' 100 feet; climbing a stationary ladder three times; flipping a fire truck tire four times; a simulated hoist exercise; and dragging a 185-pound "victim" 100 feet.

AFA Cadet Randi Imerman, Class of 2013, completed the course in seven minutes and thirty eight seconds.  He said, "AAaaahh it wasn't that bad...it's just really, really hot in all this gear."

Without an ounce of hesitation, but tons of determination, each cadet completed the challenge under the eight minutes allotted.

The fastest completion time -- three minutes and twenty seven seconds -- was accomplished by Cadet Matthew Bell, Class of 2013. "The course looked tougher than it really was, but it's all about the technique," Cadet Bell said.

With the successful completion of the firefighter PT exercise under their belts, the cadets embraced the next exercise: search and rescue. The 'Fire Dawgs' really went all out, giving the cadets a realistic scenario by smoking out an office building and hiding a victim amongst the cubicles.

Sergeant Morris, along with fellow firefighters, demonstrated the correct techniques and approaches for the given circumstance, taking into consideration the absence of light in a smoke-filled building. The cadets had few questions before suiting up and, well, becoming heroes.

Using the hand-to-right-wall technique, the cadets thoroughly searched for and recovered the "victim," who was hidden under a desk near the back of the building.

The cadets, after their eventful day, summed up the experience by saying they learned a great deal and have a new-found respect for firefighters.