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86th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters hosted Fire Prevention Week Oct. 5 – 10, engaging with the Kaiserslautern Military Community to promote fire safety and preparedness while demonstrating the unit’s dedication to readiness.
The week included fire safety presentations at Ramstein Elementary School, vehicle extrication and live-fire demonstrations, a fire station open house and opportunities to connect with off-base German firefighter partners who work alongside the 86th CES through a mutual aid agreement. The agreement allows on-base and off-base fire departments to assist one another during emergencies when additional personnel, equipment or resources are needed.
“Fire prevention week is a big part of community outreach for us,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Samual Firman, 86th CES fire inspector. “We’re able to go out into the community and teach them the basics of fire safety and what they can do to help prevent fire from happening in their homes.”
Beyond their emergency response mission, 86th CES firefighters work to ensure the KMC is prepared to prevent and respond to potential emergencies.
“It’s extremely important to invest in the local community because we serve the community,” Firman said. “We need to be able to teach them what to do in case of an emergency. If they ever come across a situation where they need our help, they need to know who to call and not be afraid.”
While community education is a key focus of Fire Prevention Week, the event also highlighted the 86th CES firefighters’ continued commitment to maintaining their readiness and emergency response capabilities.
“We’re doing training every single day and every single shift,” Firman said. “Whether it’s for mechanical training, structural training or aircraft emergencies, we’re staying ready all the time for any emergency that can come up.”
Off-base partnerships help strengthen the 86th CES’ emergency response capabilities, as firefighters collaborate with fire departments from surrounding towns when emergencies require additional resources.
“Mutual response is huge in the fire department because there may be times when we have an emergency so big that we need more manning,” Firman said. “Having a good relationship with our local partners makes it a lot easier for us to call them in those times of need.”
Mutual aid response exercises give U.S. and German firefighters an opportunity to strengthen their coordination and practice responding together before a real emergency occurs.
“[Training together] is the foundation of a strong partnership,” said Tech. Sgt. Tim Mertel-Blinn, 86th CES German local national battalion chief. “To get to know each other, you’ve got to trust your people that you may have seen and met before, much more than if you meet someone the first time on the incident scene.”
Ultimately, the partnership between on-base and off-base firefighters strengthens more than emergency response capabilities; it helps build a community that is informed, prepared and better equipped to prevent fires.
“Fire prevention week is to remind the community that we are not only here if you need to call for help,” Mertel-Blinn said. “We are also here to help educate and train.”
