MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. -- It was a scenario that would vaporize the cold sweat from a firefighter's forehead.
However this time, it was a test for the local Moreno Valley and Riverside Cal Fire firefighters.
The exercise was a live ground fire training scenario and the fire is on a mock-up aircraft.
The purpose of the training was, to teach Cal Fire how to respond and fight a fire on an aircraft that has crash.
"We're going to show them what their responsibility is, so on initial response they know how to approach the fire, knock it down or put it out long enough to go in and perform a rescue. They have to get victims out and keep the fire from spreading," said, Jeffrey Konersman, March Field Fire Chief.
The FAA requires airport firefighters do at least one live fire per year to maintain proficiency and certification.
Air Force requires training on four fires a year and to train on a different type of fire each time.
"Because we service cargo planes, fighter planes, etc., anything can come in here, so we do all fires," said Fire Chief Jeffrey Konersman.
Because of their expertise, March fire department members have trained many area fire stations, including Ontario Airport, Palm Springs Airport, Burbank Airport, Long Beach Airport and Chino Airport.
Propane is used to simulate a liquid fuel fire, because it's environmentally friendly compared to an actual liquid fuel fire.
Chief Konersman was controlling the fire from a nearby tower.
The mock-up aircraft is made of quarter inch steel and has characteristics of several different aircraft.
This feature allows for various training scenarios; the aircraft has a high wing, low wing and high tail.
Because of these particular characteristics, both the interior and exterior of the plane can be ignited.
"We can fight in the cockpit, battery compartment, passenger compartment and cargo for interior fires and on the outside for exterior fires," said Fire Chief Konersman.
The training starts with a safety brief. Cal Fire responded with two of their trucks, gear up and attack the fire.
March fire fighters stationed themselves around the perimeter for safety in case something unexpected happens. They worked side by side to advise and guide the team.
"The training is very useful; we're building on a mutual aid agreement, learning to work together, use the same radio channels and the same tactics," said Fire Captain Jeffrey Roberts, Cal Fire.
"This is good training for us because there is a lot of air traffic in Moreno Valley. It will be an eye opener for us to see how well we do with this type of scenario," said Chris Hoggatt, fire fighter medic.
The airplane was set on fire and Cal Fire arrived on site with their two trucks, they suited up, unraveled and connected their hoses and attacked the fire.
The scenario was run twice and Cal Fire successfully battled flames both times with the guidance of March fire fighters.
After the equipment, used in the exercise, was put back into the Cal Fire fire trucks, the six-member team sat aboard two of March's crash trucks while the mock-up plane was "lit up."
The entire mock airplane was set ablaze and the two crash trucks circled the plane using turrets to shoot water onto the fire.
Typically only airport fire departments have crash trucks, so it was useful for Cal Fire to see firsthand the capabilities of March's vehicles.
"The training was very informative, some of the tactics were familiar and we built on those tactics. It was beneficial to train with another unit because it's better to adapt and overcome in a training capacity than in a real world situation," said Fire Captain Jorge Castillo.
They learned valuable lessons regarding the differences between the two departments.
"What we assumed were commonalities in our communication capabilities is not the case, so now we can address these issues before an incident," said Fire Captain Jorge Castillo.
"We learned the capabilities the base has in terms of handling the massive amounts of fuel planes carry. Plus, our inter-operability of radios, their terminology for the anatomy of a plane, and their techniques for putting out an aircraft fire," said Fire Capt. Castillo.
The training exercise was beneficial to both departments.
They worked together and learned how the other operates. If there is ever a real world emergency the two departments will be prepared to work flawlessly together.