Volume 58 Number 41 | October 15, 2013
MARPAC NEWS
CFB Esquimalt, Victoria, B.C.
www.lookoutnewspaper.com
Into the fire at damage control school Shawn O’Hara Staff Writer
Shawn O’Hara, Lookout
Hull Technician Qualification Level 3 students douse flames on the Helicopter Crash Rescue Firefighting simulator at Damage Control Training Facility (DCTF) Galiano.
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A group of Hull Technician Qualification Level 3 (QL3) students spent Oct. 9 beating back a roaring tower of flames as part of their Helicopter Crash Rescue Fire Fighting (HCRFF) training. Clad head to toe in fire fighting gear and spraying torrents of water from hoses, students battled a simulated Sea King Helicopter crash. “It gives students an opportunity to fight a helicopter fire with the equipment they would be using on board an HMC ship’s flight deck,” says Sgt Jeremy Buckingham, Senior Firefighter at Canadian Forces Fleet School Esquimalt (CFFSE). “In the event of a helicopter disaster on board ship they’ll have a frame of reference for the type of things they’ll be dealing with, which is invaluable when it comes to saving lives.” The boxy metal simulator contains various liquid and gas propane ejectors that pump the required fuel for the helicopter fire fighting evolution. Portions of the simulator can be ignited at varying degrees of intensity with only the touch of a button, with even at lowest levels projecting a wall of heat over 30 feet in every direction. “We’re keeping the fires low today so the students can get near it somewhat comfortably,” says Sgt Buckingham. “At the higher levels, the radiant heat can melt the paint off cars if we’re not careful. It can get quite intense.” Students suppress the flames initially using Twin Agent Units: Aqueous Film Forming Foam and Potassium bi-carbonate (Dry Chemical). “These are the tools they’ll be using on the ship,” says Sgt Buckingham. “When it comes to fighting helicopter fires it’s vital to have an in-depth understanding of your equipment and how to used it.”
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