ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE DARWIN, Australia -- An immense fire exploded into the darkness and roared, threatening to char whatever lay in its path. The blaze devoured its fuel and formed a wall of intense heat that posed a challenge for both Australian and Marine firefighters to put out.
Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, and Australian firefighters with the Aviation Rescue Firefighting Service, Air Services Australia, Darwin International Airport, practice extinguishing controlled-chemical fires May 11 at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
“Tonight we went out with our Australian counterparts to conduct some cross-training in extinguishing what the Australians like to call a ‘Christmas tree’ fire,” said Cpl. Joseph Chaparro, an aircraft rescue and firefighting specialist with MWSS-171.
The “Christmas tree” is a training aid that can supply fuel under high pressure and release it to simulate a break in the valves and pipework found in any fuel compound on any airport in the world. The fuel is then set on fire and the firefighters are required to work their way to the control valves under a curtain of water and turn off the fuel supply taps. The training aid is referred to as a “Christmas tree” due to its arms of fuel flow and its look of a tree.
“This is definitely great training because it brings us out of our comfort zone,” said Chaparro. “They walked us through what was going on and how to tackle the fire, and then we got to take the lead while they supervised.”
Training is a large part of firefighting, and firefighters must be able to act immediately to remedy a fire or an emergency situation. Realistic training is the key to this success.
“These Marines are firefighters and all firefighters anywhere in the world have three objectives: to extinguish fires, save lives, and save property,” said Craig Cousins, a fire station manager at Aviation Rescue Firefighting Service, Air Services Australia, Darwin International Airport. “Over the years, the Marines have worked on a number of deployments with our staff at our station and they often bring different ways of achieving the same goal.”
There are numerous ways to put out fires and every organization brings different ideas and procedures that can be used to reach the desired result. The Marines of MWSS- 171 had the opportunity to learn new techniques for themselves from the Australian firefighters.
“I really enjoyed working with the Australians and I think what we took away from this is just learning how things are run when you’re in a different environment,” said Chaparro.
“I’m trying to focus on building great relations with [the Australians] and doing as much training as we can because it’s a privilege to be out here working with them. They have much more gear than we do and I’m excited to be able to use it.”
The Marines of MWSS- 171 plan on doing more training in the near future with their Australian counterparts at the Darwin International Airport, said Chaparro.
The rotational deployment in Darwin enables Marines to more effectively train, exercise and operate with their partners, enhancing regional security and building a capacity to respond more rapidly to natural disasters and crises throughout that region.