FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. –
Fort Indiantown Gap Fire and Emergency Services firefighters conducted their annual aircraft live-fire training exercise here July 23-26.
It was the first time they could train using a new UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter model that helps the trainees be prepared for real-life scenarios at Muir Army Heliport.
“The first part of the training consisted of roof turret operations," said Donald Wilson, chief of the Fort Indiantown Gap fire department. “Turret operations are conducted during the approach to a burning aircraft. It enables firefighters to begin cooling the airframe and extinguish fuel fires before approaching the aircraft on foot.
"This training provides an opportunity in a controlled environment to practice the techniques that will be needed in the event of a real-world situation involving one of the aircraft here at Fort Indiantown Gap,” Wilson added.
The Black Hawk model that is used at Fort Indiantown Gap during training exercises has three different zones and functions on propane. The three different zones are zone one, which is the cockpit area; zone two, which is the passenger area; and zone three, which is the spill pad to simulate a fueled fire on the ground. Each zone on the simulator has an emergency stop button and an independent switch.
The model also has a master foot switch that controls the flow of propane. The unit is also controlled by a control pedestal, and the operator at the pedestal controls the flow of propane.
The helicopter is mobilized to move to and from any training site on post. It can be used at the Combined Arms Collective Training Facility using the transport trailer with the on-board propane storage. It can also be used to simulate a helicopter down in an urban environment with higher population density. Having the ability to tow the helicopter to the CACTF not only benefits Fort Indiantown Gap Fire and Emergency Services, but also fire departments that provide aid to the Gap.
It also gives the trainees and current firefighters experience in extinguishing fires. It takes extensive learning and practice to know how to put out powerful fires that spread rapidly. It becomes important to be trained on the proper equipment and be able to stop the fires. Most military training and emergency landing spots for Black Hawks are in field environments. This is also a very common area for wildfires to start and continue to spread. This training helps teach the importance of acting fast and moving very efficiently to put the fires out.
“My favorite part of the job is the personnel that I work with in the Fort Indiantown Gap Fire and Emergency Services," Wilson said. "They are an incredible group of dedicated, motivated professional firefighters. They are an asset to Fort Indiantown Gap and the community. I am proud of them and the work they do every day."
Muir Army Heliport, which is home to the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade and the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, is the second-busiest heliport in the U.S. Army. Pilots there primarily fly CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters.