JBER firefighters always on the ready

  • Published
  • By Air Force Staff Sgt. Blake Mize
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Imagine being awakened in the middle of the night by a series of obnoxiously loud tones. From the instant the first tone sounds, you've got 60 seconds to be completely dressed, in your car and ready to pull away. Sounds impossible, right?

It's not.

This is the standard for every firefighter at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. From the time an alarm sounds within any of the seven fire stations on JBER, emergency personnel have one minute to be completely geared up and on their respective truck. Asleep, in the shower, working out. Doesn't matter. One minute.

"I always tell my guys, 'Every time we get a call, someone is having the worst day of their life,''' said Tech. Sgt. Justin Pederson, 673d Civil Engineer Squadron battalion chief.

To mitigate chaotic effects on the lives of JBER members, the firefighters train on expeditious exits and hone their daily routines. At any time during their 24-hour shifts, firefighters might have to conduct a bunker drill. After the order is given, they have one minute to be entirely equipped in their protective boots, pants, jacket, helmet and gloves.

"It comes down to us training them and putting that stressor on them during the training, so when the tones do drop, it's not overwhelming," Pederson said. "It's an everyday occurrence for them now. They can process clearly what they've got to do to get the job done."

Although vital to their readiness capabilities, bunker drills are merely one aspect of the training that keeps firefighters constantly ready to respond to emergencies. They conduct some form of training on a daily basis. Training is a substantial part of each shift.

On their assigned duty days, each firefighter arrives at the station at 8 a.m. They put away their things in one of the bunk rooms, comprised of a twin-sized bed, a shelf, a small night table and just enough room to change clothes. They then inspect their trucks and equipment.

"We make sure everything is ready to go for whatever might come our way throughout the day," Pederson said. "It's also a good time to train new Airmen on the equipment."

After all equipment is good-to-go, the battalion chief convenes a shift meeting to discuss the day's objectives. From there, the shift completes whatever cleaning detail is scheduled for that day, takes a lunch break and begins their training, all while staying mentally prepared to jump on the truck at any instant.

"We have monthly training requirements we have to meet, as well as annual training," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Morris, 673d CES fire emergency services crew chief. "It's nice when we get to do specialized stuff like high-angle rescues and rappelling off buildings."

Pederson said the training they conduct is one of the most important parts of their day.

"The best day as a firefighter is when we can have a good training day and the guys all learn something," Pederson said. "When they come out of there and I can look at every single one of them and they can tell me three to five things they have learned throughout the day."

Many of the firefighters are also EMTs, so much of the training they perform focuses on the medical aspects of the job.

"Air Force wide, we don't have a whole lot of fires, primarily because of our fire prevention programs," Pederson said. "So our call volume has switched to focusing more on medical, because we've come up with all those plans and programs to make buildings safer. We, as a fire service, have switched to a medical philosophy more and more."

Once occupational training is over, physical training begins. Some go to the base gym, some use the gym in the station, some run, some play basketball -- whatever suits their individual fitness needs.

The end of PT brings the conclusion of the scheduled duty day. At this point, if their responsibility to respond to emergency calls has allowed the daily schedule to be maintained and all details are finished for the day, the shift is given downtime to catch up on additional duties and individual certification training. From 4 p.m. until 10 p.m., families are permitted to visit the station. This is the only time during a 24-hour period the firefighters are able to spend time with their loved ones.

"It takes a long time to get used to," Pederson said. "You need strong family support if you're going to continue on with 24-hour shifts. The spouses do a tremendous job of having the kids for 24 straight hours while we're gone."

Unlike many JBER members, emergency personnel are not able to take off work to tend to personal matters, either.

"There are not a whole lot of appointments or family emergencies that you can just take off from work to go to," Pederson said. "We have requirements. We need this many people at work every day. The spouses have everything on their plate at home."

Because time with their actual families is limited, firefighters must form bonds within their unit and treat each other as family.

"You're here for 24 hours every other day," said Ron D'Andrea, 673d CES firefighter. "From the time you get here until the time you go home, you eat together, work together, celebrate birthdays and holidays together. You basically know everything about everyone's personal life. We look out for each other."

Their schedule is not all bad, however. Every two weeks, each firefighter is granted a day off in between their two duty days. Kelly days, as they're known, allow emergency personnel a three-day weekend of sorts.

And although a career as a firefighter is not without its challenges, many said there is nothing else they'd rather do.

"I couldn't ask for a better job," Morris said. "I'll do this for the rest of my life."