Alaska firefighters receive tactical wildland fire training

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – With wildfire season simply on the horizon in Alaska, firefighters from each Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson and the Anchorage Fireplace Division just lately participated in a chainsaw coaching program to turn into Sawyer licensed. The course — hosted on base in Anchorage — consisted of in the future of classroom instruction adopted by two days of in-field coaching.

The category, taught by JBER Wildland Help Module firefighter and gear operator Matthew Allen, teaches the fundamental rules of chainsaw security, operation, upkeep and tree felling in regard to combatting and stopping wildland fires.

“Fires want gasoline to burn, the timber are the gasoline. How do you take away the timber is chainsaws and different gear,” Allen stated. “They’re an enormous piece for us.”

A chainsaw is an easy, but tactical piece of apparatus that’s often utilized in wildland firefighting operations. In accordance with Allen, going by means of a certification course of is required so as to use them to struggle a wildfire. It’s a certification that each AFD firefighter Joey Casey and JBER Fireplace Dept. firefighter and EMT Daniel Gerome had been considering acquiring.

“I’ve reduce down some timber earlier than on my property, however I used to be all the time questioning, ‘Is that this the precise technique to do it?’” Gerome stated. “By doing this class, not solely am I studying the right technique to function a chainsaw but additionally a means of tips on how to do it on a wildland fireplace.”

Whereas AFD doesn’t essentially struggle wildfires on a frequent foundation, Casey — a six-year firefighter for Station 6 with an extra 5 years within the fireplace service — considers the coaching relevant.

“As you recognize — Anchorage hillside, Elmore — we’ve had just a few fires right here in the previous few years there and it actually simply factors to we must be just a little bit extra ready for it,” Casey stated.

Wearing private protecting gear similar to hardhats, chaps, glasses and earplugs, the firefighters from each departments labored to take down useless timber in a wooded space on the navy base Thursday morning. Oftentimes, JBER firefighters are the primary to reply when a wildland fireplace ignites within the state.

“We’re one of many first individuals to exit on scene as a result of we have already got our gear, have our gear and able to go on the market and struggle that fireplace earlier than the State of Alaska can collect their scorching pictures and their organized fireplace crews to exit and proceed the firefighting actions,” Gerome stated.

This was the primary time Gerome sought certification after serving within the Air Power for 12 years as a firefighter solely to return to the division for a civilian job.

“I couldn’t get away from it,” Gerome stated. “I loved the firefighting, I loved the individuals I used to be working with, I loved JBER because the division, and needed to return again and proceed to maintain serving.”

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