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Firefighters with guns:

training for the front line
Industrial Fire Journal visits the UK’s Royal Air Force Fire Service at the Defence Fire Training and
Development Centre (DFTDC) Manston in Kent, to find out first hand what it takes to be a
firefighter in some of the most challenging environments in the world – including battlefields.

P
“ rofessional firefighters that carry weapons” is how they Woosh, the aviation fuel on the simulator catches fire and an
describe themselves, and as firefighting goes it is difficult impressive fire engulfs the simulator, woosh goes the flames on a
to imagine a more extreme branch of the profession. separate bund, placed around 20 metres away from the aircraft
The UK’s Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation (DFRMO) sim and which is designed to act as a diversion. “It’s a visual
comprises 2,500 full time firefighters with operational stations in thing, and like a ‘rabbit-in-headlights’ it causes the student to
places as far afield as Ascension Island, Afghanistan, Cyprus, consider their options,” says Ian.
Gibraltar, Germany, and even the Falkland Islands. The RAF Within two minutes the fire crews arrive in their Carmichael
element of DFRMO comprises approx 550 personnel and it is MFV (major foam vehicle) and RIV (rapid intervention vehicle)
this element that normally deploys into operational areas. crash tenders, and the scene is set. Standing about 35 metres
DFRMO’s firefighting force may be the size of a large municipal away from the fire and the heat is palpable – even if only
brigade, but its responsibilities are at defence locations world approximately 25% of it is being radiated outwards, the rest going
wide, whether it be in naval dockyards, weapons storage facilities, up to the sky.
military offices, airports, and of course, theatres of war. The DFRMO standard target response time is two minutes to
the incident (in line with ICAO standards), and an additional
Training minute to make survivable conditions – and it appears that that
On a bright and sunny day Warrant Officer and Course Manager target is being met today.
Ian Baker and Warrant Officer Martin Trafford, Overseas The crew are directing their roof mounted monitors onto the
Operations Manager for DFRMO explain the training that is to fuselage in a bid to extinguish the fire followed by cooling jets to
take place. Today is a big day, with corporal to sergeant make an entry and begin the rescue operation. Training foam is
promotion incident command assessment exercises taking place used for all training operations, which not only has the benefit of
for a student from RAF Waddington in charge of the training, and being environmentally friendly, but “makes the guys work harder
looking relaxed in spite of having two senior training officers, a to put the fire out”.
journalist and photographer as an audience. “No pressure then,” Under the experienced eyes of Ian and Martin, eyebrows soon
Within two
says Ian, with half a smile. go up. “We don’t know why they’ve decided to make the entry to
minutes the fire
Then the radios come to life. A Lockheed C-130 Hercules the fuselage on this side.” It will all come out at the debrief later,
crews arrive in
their Carmichael military transport aircraft has collided with another aircraft on which even at this senior level is all about positive training. “We
MFV and RIV landing. Two engineers were working on the back of the look to the incident commander to justify their decisions and any
crash tenders. grounded aircraft, and there are four personnel in the C-130.

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ARFF TRAINING IN THE MILITARY

actions taken,“ remarks Martin. Bastion in November ‘09 following a four-month stint as a Watch
Most DFRMO fire stations have their own simulators, based on Commander. He was part of a RAF crew of 12, plus four attached
the types of aircraft that are used at that unit. Most sims are US Marine firefighters.
smaller than Manston’s, and in most a 200 litre fuel tank will last Camp Bastion, the largest British overseas military camp built
for six or seven fires. “Nowadays we only use what we need,” since World War II, is located northwest of Lashkar Gah, the
explains Ian. capital of Helmand Province. It is situated in a remote desert area,
RAF firefighters receive basic recruit training over 17 weeks far from populated areas and includes a field hospital. Aircraft
covering core competencies, which is then developed further to movements can be as many as 13,000 per month.
an operational standard that is dictated by the role they undertake What is it like firefighting in a place like that? “It’s alright – I
when posted on assignment. “We don’t over train, and we don’t really enjoyed it and it is very busy. Most of what we are doing is
give skills that are not going to be used where they are posted.” not our bread and butter, as we are doing lots of casualty
Military firefighters are called to incidents on a regular basis, handling. We just get on with it.” Casualty handling is one of the
many of which are – like their municipal counterparts – down to many tasks that has been taken up by firefighters. As the Afghan
false alarms. And just as community fire safety plays a big part in National Army and Coalition troops continue to face the dangers
local authorities, the same goes for military property – all military of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and other attacks on the
staff receive fire training annually on using fire extinguishers, ground, all casualties in the province arrive at the Camp for
general fire safety awareness and location-specific training. treatment. In effect the Chinook is a flying ambulance containing
At DFTDC Manston a wide variety of
courses are taught, from structural and
aircraft (armed and unarmed), to
compartment fire behaviour training, BA
instructor courses, trauma, and first aid. Many
years ago a virtual reality fire simulator once
even lived there, before it was relinquished
as being too inflexible and costly. Today,
facilities include underground bunkers and a
hospital wing, where “it is a case of getting
recruits used to working off guidelines etc.”
says Ian.
One week’s first aid is also taught as part
of the 17 weeks basic training, and currently
there are discussions to also carry out “first
person on scene” training.
DFTDC Manston takes its environmental
responsibilities seriously, explains Ian, and
staff go out of their way to fall in line with
requirements. “We are on top of an aquifer
for the county, so you can imagine the
environmental questions we face.”
Today’s training, impressive as it is, is a far
cry from the “good old days” when
explosive charges would be set off under a
D-wing Vulcan, followed by pouring fuel on
the plane and setting it alight. “Then a half-
hour exercise might turn into a three-hour
one. One day, someone could face a
burning inferno, another, a fire that could be
put out with a powder extinguisher. Today
all students face the identical exercise.
Whatever the log for this incident, say it is a
number 15 fire, that is what it will be during
the assessment phase. The only variation
will be weather conditions,” says Ian.

Firefighting in Afghanistan
Currently UK forces are deployed in
Afghanistan in support of the UN authorised,
NATO led International Security Assistance
Force mission and as part of the US-led
Operation Enduring Freedom. UK forces
operations are being conducted under the
name Operation Herrick, and there are two
RAF firefighting stations at Camp Bastion.
Sergeant Tim Feast, a 44-year-old instructor
at DFTDC Manston, returned from Camp

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ARFF TRAINING IN THE MILITARY

specialist medical equipment to provide the best care possible for

the wounded. Once landed the firefighters take them off the
helicopters and onto the ambulances to be transported to the
Finding a plane to train
hospital a few hundred metres away. It is a task that has been
Mathé Koenen is the Training Manager
carried out by the firefighters because they have the necessary
at The International Centre for
skills to support the medical teams and the quicker they can get Emergency Techniques (ICET), a
the wounded onto the ambulances, the quicker they can receive Holland-based organisation that is
medical aid and survive. Tim remembers difficult, upsetting and committed to promoting sound, scientific
challenging days with his team working flat out to support the and yet innovative strategies for risk,
medical teams. It is at times like these that the closeness and crisis and disaster management. He has
trust of the team comes into effect and firefighters are able to been a firefighter for 27 years, and an
discuss their experiences within team and with their colleagues. instructor for the last 20 years.
“You don’t always want to talk to someone outside of the team Seventeen years ago ICET began
organising aircraft rescue training for civil
because they have not really seen or experienced it.”
and military response groups, and today it is still going strong. The
As a result of post traumatic stress, the RAF have adopted TRiM
biggest difficulty, however, is finding a real aircraft to train with.
– trauma risk management. Evolved from the Royal Marines’ “We organise training on demand from our clients, but also if we have
Stress Trauma Project, TRiM is based on the principles of found a plane then we start looking for organisations that might want
education, risk assessment and mentoring. Crucially, the stress to join the course.”
practitioners involved are fellow firefighters, and usually members The organisation has a web of contacts ranging from airports, owners
of the same watch that have undertaken specific training. “TRiM is and aircraft salvage companies, and once a tip-off has been received it
regarded as peer-based best practice, and we have various is all hands to the deck. “Two years ago people would be prepared to
individuals that are trained practitioners who have had similar travel wherever a plane was located. Today things are different as
experiences. It is a first stepping stone to the healing process, by budgets have been cut, and organisations now specify where they
want to train.”
being able to talk about their experiences and try to overcome
This doesn’t make things easy for Mathé, who is currently looking for a
them,” explains Ian.
plane near Durban, South Africa. “But the good news is that I have
In Afghanistan, the firefighters stick together at all times. “You found one in the Netherlands, a Boeing 737, for some military
work as a crew together, you’ll eat your meals together, and you customers. Any other military organisations that would like to train with
go out together and that’s pretty much 24/7.” On a four-month us are welcome. Training is due to take place around July or August.”
stint, working 24 hours on, 24 hours off (with nothing but a pool If planes cannot be found, however, it is not the end of the world. “We
table, soft drinks, and a cafe between 9,000 people), in 40 also train on buses, and it is not unheard of for us to stick two wings
degree heat in the shade, it is intense. And that does not include on a bus and call it an ‘Airbus’!”
the stresses of every day operations. Joking aside, aircraft rescue training the ICET way normally lasts a
Apart from casualty handling, community fire safety, and normal week, 9am to 5pm, during which time the organisation emphasises the
SAVER method.
“soldiering” such as guard duty, the fire team is also called upon
The Systematic Approach to Vital Emergency Response (SAVER) is the
to carry out extrication duties on armoured vehicles. More often
result of years of international experience gained in the field by ICET
than not this involves a ride in a helicopter, which means each and other ICET related specialists and the SAVER Foundation, ICET’s
firefighter has to carry all their kit in backpacks. “Typically you have non-profit arm.
a number of rucksacks with hydraulic rescue equipment, SAVER is a dynamic, didactic and operational model capable of
Training foam is
mechanical saws, low pressure air bags etc. But they also wear integration into any existent operational procedure or protocol. “For
used for all
the stuff that an ordinary soldier has to wear. So they wear the step one of the SAVER method, for example, we start with the
training – it is
helmet, body armour, ammunition – and carry a rifle,” explains approach to an incident, when a responder should be building a
environmentally
Martin. picture in his head of what has happened, answering as many
friendly and
To make things even more interesting, firefighters can be questions as possible. Once you are at the scene, it will inevitably be
“makes the guys
different to the picture, but in all likelihood 90% of the questions have
work harder to dropped off some distance from the incident (helicopters make
already been answered, so you can look for the remaining 10%.”
put the fire out.” desirable targets), which means they then have to walk to the
If you are interested in training with Mathé, or know of an aircraft that
will never fly again, email him on koenen@icet.nl.

scene. Once a firefighter has rescued a victim(s) and handed

them over to a helicopter, there may be no space for the
firefighter which means they have to join a patrol and make their
own way back to base.
Such experiences have not put Tim off, and he’s keen to return
to the front line in the next 15 months.

Lessons learned: equipment

The biggest lesson learned happened at the start of Operation
HERRICK, when firefighters had been deployed with standard fire
kit. After a couple of “shouts” it became quite clear that as 95 per
cent of vehicles in theatre were armoured, the standard hydraulic
rescue equipment was ineffective – like using a “knife and fork”.
“Some came back and said whilst this kit is great for a Vauxhall
Corsa, when it comes to a 15-tonne armoured vehicle on its side,
it is not up to the job ,” recalls Martin.

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ARFF TRAINING IN THE MILITARY

Under the lance would cut through a tank, and they said that they’d cut up a
experienced eyes tank as part of one of their training courses.”
of Course Martin admits that buying equipment for RAF firefighters is not
Manager Ian straightforward. “It is all about compromises. We don’t have the
Baker and
luxury of two pumps or a rescue tender, or turning up with 15
Warrant Officer
guys and all the kit you would want. You need the smallest
Martin Trafford,
eyebrows are amount of kit that does the maximum amount of tasks and
immediately which weighs the minimum – and which cuts through armour.”
raised: “We don’t Each time an incident occurs at Camp Bastion a hot debrief
know why they’ve takes place to ensure that any lessons are identified explains
decided to make Martin. “It’s not just kit, it’s techniques. Gaining access to an
the entry to the armoured vehicle requires certain techniques and specialised
fuselage on equipment. Any learning points are passed between the crews
this side.” out there, and then a report goes back to DFRMO HQ for it to be
logged and looked at. That’s how our training progresses.”
Just because a firefighter is on the front line doesn’t mean the
training stops. Firefighters are expected to become acquainted
with all the aircraft that come through the Camp – and in Camp
Bastion this includes a wide range of fixed wing and rotary aircraft
from UK and coalition forces... So how do they do it? “A lot of
these aircraft moving in might only be on the ground for a 20-
minute window, so even if its midday you have to go in and get
training on it. If not, you have failed your crew by not providing
them with that opportunity at some point,” says Tim.
So how do firefighters relax on the front line? “Sleep, watch
DVDs, go to the gym, send emails home. It is all hard work and a
lot of it is not pleasant. But it is so rewarding you see why people
go. Although we are just a tiny part of that chain, we are still part
of it. The guys see the difference they make.”
The solution partly came from an open day held by Hampshire “There is a huge appreciation out there as to what the fire
Fire and Rescue Service (UK), where Ian saw some oxy-petro crews do, especially from the army, who haven’t had much
cutters in use to cut through steel. “We asked them if the thermal experience with the Air Force.”

New ICAO foam standard passes full-scale testing in Florida

A new generation of firefighting foam has successfully passed full scale tests in Florida
and paves the way for increased aircraft firefighting capability.
Foam fire standards were developed in the 1970s, however recent chemistry
developments now permit more effective foams and result in a more successful
firefighting system and allow improved post-accident survivability.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) working with Transport Canada and other
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) partners has completed a project to
develop improved aircraft firefighting foams.
Following a major aircraft accident, foams are used to extinguish and suppress fuel
fires. The physical and chemical behaviour of the foam is crucial in fire management.
The project challenged the foam manufacturers to improve on the existing
effectiveness and allow manufacturers to supply to an improved international
regulatory standard.
In September 2008, a series of small scale fire tests were carried out at the CNPP
laboratories in Vernon, France. The tests identified one product manufactured by
Solberg Foams that was capable of meeting the 60-second extinguishment of the 7m2 size fire pan.
The next stage was for the Solberg foam to be subjected to a full scale test of 500m2 of fire to replicate the footprint of a medium sized aircraft. After investigating a number of
testing facilities the Federal Aviation Agency of the USA offered to host the tests at their extensive site at Tyndal Air Force Base in Florida.
The test protocol set out a requirement for three tests of at least 500m2 of fully involved fire using 3,375 litres of aviation fuel. Rosenbauer USA provided a Panther vehicle for the
testing and the tests used both its High Reach Extendable Turret and Elkhart bumper monitor. The monitors delivered foam at 2,027 and 2,217 l/min respectively. Two different pits
were used one containing a New Large Aircraft (NLA) rig, the other a medium sized aircraft rig. The objective was to achieve 90% control of the fire within 60 seconds.
In the event total extinguishment was achieved in 43, 29 and 51 seconds in the three tests. The tests therefore were a success for the foam, the Level C standard and proving the
correlation between the small and large scale tests, which will allow future development of foams in the knowledge that both the existing and new tests are credible and effective.
Simon Webb, the CAA’s airport fire specialist said: “We are delighted that we have a new test that takes all the industry forward. This project has been an excellent example of co-
operation of countries and industry.”
Solberg Foams commented, “We are very pleased to have been involved in the process of designing and testing a new product. We consider ourselves the 'foam experts' and are
constantly striving to find new ‘state of the art’ technologies and take on new challenges. We are especially pleased with the outcome of this test protocol.”
The final stage in the project is for the standard to be submitted to ICAO for approval and publication in their standards document “Annex 14”.

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