Firedogs go against the grain, set building ablaze

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Melanie Hutto
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  As the sun set, Misawa firefighters raided a structure not to extinguish flames, as one may expect, but to ignite it themselves, here, March 15.

Rather than bulldoze, the firefighters incinerated the Ninja Zone, formally a civil engineer work-center, to save demolition costs.

“The wooden foundation made this building eligible to be burned down,” explained Staff Sgt. Samuel Taylor, a 35th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter. “Also, the location of this building was an important factor. This building [1595] had very few exposures which allowed us to burn it with a reduced amount of risk.”

The facility took approximately two hours to burn from the initial ignition to total destruction. It continued to smolder for an additional 12 to 18 hours after.

It is not a common practice for firefighters to intentionally burn a building; however, since this one was condemned, they saw it as an opportunity to train their forcible entry techniques and learn more about fire behavior.

“Fire behavior is a language in itself and should be thoroughly understood so we can do our jobs safely and effectively,” said Taylor. “If we understand fire behavior, then we can improve our situational awareness to make correct decisions in an emergency situation.”

Taylor continued on saying this was his first time intentionally burning a building down and after all the training he’s been through, nothing beats an actual physical demonstration of fire behavior.

Misawa firefighters are required to conduct live fire training evolutions two times per year for structural firefighting and aircraft rescue firefighting operations, however with this training they are required to contain and cease the fire.

“A live burn allowed us to see exactly what happens in each stage of fire development,” said Master Sgt. Christopher Basinger, the 35th CES assistant chief of training. “Our job is to extinguish fires so we rarely get to see a fire from start to finish. This helped us understand fire behavior and its indicators.”

Firefighters provide programs and services designed to protect the lives and property of the inhabitants and visitors of Misawa AB. They also support Misawa City if emergency situations arise. Their primary goal is to train to meet both local and global missions at a moments notice.

“If a time comes when we must put our training into effect, the department members will have the confidence and training to protect the lives and property of the base,” said Basinger. “We provide capable firefighters who preserve the Wing's ability to deliver combat airpower during war and peacetime.”