BELVOIR
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October 22, 2020
Belvoir Firefighters sharpen readiness in new fire training tower By Paul Lara Belvoir Eagle
T
hick, white smoke was rising from Davison Army Airfield last week as Fort Belvoir Fire and Emergency Services trucks came rolling up. With focus and precision, each firefighter had a job to do: lay out hoses; throw ladders for reaching the second floor, and forcing their way into the building. This building, however, is designed to burn – again and again. The three-story steel structure offers realworld training, complete with heat, blinding smoke, and the uncertainty of the floorplan, according to Shane Crutcher, Fort Belvoir fire chief. “The training facility was dedicated back in July, and this is the first opportunity as an agency to run the groups through different evolutions. We’ve done some training burns with our instructor groups, but this is the
Photo by Paul Lara
Fort Belvoir firefighters work to extinguish a fire in the new training facility at Davison Army Airfield, Oct. 15.
first time that we’ve set up like we would on an actual response and perform to the standard with which we have to make sure we
Belvoir celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
meet,” said Crutcher. The first live fire training was observed by Col. Josh SeGraves, Garrison commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Kleinholtz. SeGraves stressed how all this fits into the Army’s People First strategy, with a foundation of trust. “It’s high-stress when you enter a burning building, and you can’t see anything, so you have to trust that everyone is doing their job to the best of their ability. You’ve got to trust each other. “If you see something wrong, or something’s not quite right – if you walk by that, you’re going to set a new standard. That’s part of ‘This is my Squad’. That culture is not okay; fix that deficiency and hold each other accountable. Support each other and build a team,” said SeGraves. The training involved several scenarios: a first-floor fire, and responding to a second-story fire with victims trapped. A key advantage to this facility is the
much needed flexibility it provides, Fire and Emergency Services. “Our partners in Fairfax County have a training facility on the other side of the county. This facility will enable Fort Belvoir to support their training which will better facilitate cooperation between the two agencies which is critical,” said Crutcher “When you look at the National Capitol Region, our military partners and even FEMA partners have taken a look at the Fort Belvoir facility and they plan to take advantage of it. From Aberdeen Proving Grounds to down A.P. Hill, Fire and Emergency Services will be using our facility to meet their own training requirements. The 2,280-square-foot training center is a world-class facility, and Crutcher said future plans include the addition of a mobile aircraft rescue and firefighting system, and above-ground confined-space rescue simulator.
Army leaders: Taking care of people will help take care of the force By Joseph Lacdan Army News Service
I Photo by Terry Ruggles
Belvoir celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month story on Facebook Live at Fort Belvoir’s Garrison Headquarters for Hispanic Heritage Month, Oct. 15. Lt. Col. Chalas described her personal and professional experiences, the culture and its impact on military and civilian communities. Fort Belvoir’s Garrison Commander, Col. Joshua SeGraves, left, and incoming Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory Kleinholz, right, awarded Lt. Col. Chalas a certificate of appreciation for sharing her inspirational message with the Fort Belvoir community.
mproving leadership development and introducing new health and fitness efforts that aim to reduce injuries will help carry out the Army People Strategy and have a lasting impact on the force, Army leaders said last week. Last year, the service announced the strategy that calls on every Soldier, civilian and Soldier for Life to be taken care of in order to benefit the Army as a whole. Army leaders outlined plans on how to effectively implement the strategy during a virtual panel at this year’s Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition. “I’m excited about what this is going to provide the Army as we
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Photo by U.S. Army
Improving leadership development andintroducing new health and fitness efforts will help carry out the Army People Strategy, said Army leaders at this year’s AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition. This is a file photo taken before COVID-19 guidance went into effect. See Army, page 6