Dyess trains with local firefighters

  • Published
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  As the flames engulfed an aircraft here, Dyess, Abilene Regional airport and Abilene Fire Department firefighters teamed up to extinguish it during a joint exercise Sept. 16.

This wasn't the first time the three fire departments worked together to put out an aircraft fire on base. At least once a year they join together and partake in real-world situations.

Firefighters from the airport use Dyess fire pit annually to meet Federal Aviation Administration regulations and the Abilene Fire Department attends training exercises as often as possible.

"Training with the other two fire departments creates a good working relationship between us in case we ever have a real scenario where we have to put out a fire," said Weldon Wilkerson, Abilene Fire Department.

Dyess maintains a mutual aid agreement with local airport firefighters and the Abilene Fire Department.

"We can respond to anything, not just aircraft fires," said Floyd Jones, 7th Civil Engineer Squadron, deputy fire chief. "It's kind of like having an extra fire department close by should an emergency occur."

The training started with an interior propane explosion in the cockpit, followed by an exterior Jet Propellant 8 explosion to demonstrate the difference between the two fuel types.

Texas is one of only a few states that allow JP-8 to be burned in training and Dyess is one of five Air Force bases that have a JP-8 training pit, Mr. Jones said.

Six training exercises were conducted, allowing for more than 30 firefighters to be trained for response to an aircraft fire.