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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781468523683 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 12/29/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 276 |
| Sales rank: | 1,285,110 |
| File size: | 4 MB |
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ARMY FIRE FIGHTING
A Historical PerspectiveBy Leroy Allen Ward
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2013 Leroy Allen WardAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-2370-6
Chapter One
Military Occupational Specialty
The army calls their enlisted jobs MOSs, or military occupation specialties, while the commissioned officers specialties are categorized by "branches" or "fields."
The original firefighter MOS was 383, later changed to 525, then to 51M, and then, in 2003, to 21M. The most recent change, to 12M, was made in October 2010. These changes are directed by the Department of the Army to reflect technological developments; changes in doctrine, force structure, functions, or missions; or correction of performance deficiencies.
While MOS numbering as generally used includes two numbers followed by a letter, a full designation consists of at least five characters (e.g., 21M10, 21M20, 21M30). The first three characters identify the MOS; the fourth character, a number from one to five, indicates the level of skill within the MOS. The fifth character is normally zero. In some cases, a letter is used as a special qualification identifier to indicate a soldier's specific duty assignment or special qualifications. Special qualifications that firefighters may be issued are for career management NCO, drill sergeant, equal opportunity advisor, recruiter, retention NCO, instructor/writer, and observer controller/trainer, active component reserve component.
Each enlisted MOS has from one to five skill levels, depending on the types of duty positions encompassed by the MOS. The four occupational specialty codes levels for firefighters, as derived from the Department of the Army Pamphlet 611-21(2007), are:
MOS 21M10, which is comprised of Private E-1 through Specialist E-4, "performs rescue and firefighting operations during structural fires, aircraft emergencies, vehicle emergencies, wildland fires" and "hazardous materials incidents." These soldier/firefighters also "operate and maintain firefighting equipment and vehicles during emergency and nonemergency operations."
MOS 21M20 (Sergeant E-5) position is responsible for "directing rescue and firefighting operations during structural fires, aircraft emergencies, vehicle emergencies, wildland fires" and "hazardous materials incidents." This position is also responsible for "maintaining the records and reports on fire department operations."
MOS 21M30 (Staff Sergeant E-6) position "supervises rescue and firefighting operations during structural fires, aircraft emergencies, vehicle emergencies, wildland fires" and "hazardous materials incidents." Additionally this position is responsible for "conducting fire prevention operations, including inspections and prefire planning."
MOS 21M40 (Sergeant First Class E-7) position exercises overall "command and control during rescue and firefighting operations during structural fires, aircraft emergencies, vehicle emergencies, wildland fires" and "hazardous materials incidents." They will supplement the MOS 21M30 positions in conducting "fire prevention operations, to include determining building classification and installation-level inspections." This position is also responsible for the conducting the "initial fire-ground investigations."
On January 8, 1942, under War Department Circular No. 5, the ranks of technician third grade (T/3), technician fourth grade (T/4), and technician fifth grade (T/5) were created, replacing the existing specialist ranks. Initially, the technician ranks used the same insignia as staff sergeant, sergeant, and corporal, respectively, but on September 4, 1942, Change No. 1 to AR 600-35 added a "T" for "Technician" to the standard design that corresponded with that grade. Technicians were not addressed as such, but rather by the neighboring rank in the same pay grade (e.g., a T/5 was addressed as "Corporal"; a T/4 as "Sergeant"; and a T/3 as "Staff Sergeant").
Officially, a technician did not have the authority to give commands or issue orders, but could, under combat conditions, be placed second in command of a squad by a sergeant. Unofficially, most units treated technicians as though they were members of their neighboring rank. The technician ranks were removed from the rank system in 1948, although the concept was brought back with the rank of specialist in 1955. In 1965 the ranks of Specialist 8 and Specialist 9 were discontinued; in 1978 the rank of Specialist 7 was discontinued; and in 1985 the ranks of Specialist 5 and Specialist 6 were discontinued, leaving only the Specialist 4 rank still being used today.
Technical Manual 12-427, Change No. 5, Military Occupational Classificiation of Enlisted Personnel (1949) is the first reference where the army MOSs are converted from a three-digit to a four-digit code.
Special Regulation (SR) 615-25-15, Enlisted Personnel Military Occupational Specialties (1950), provided a listing of military occupational specialty grades authorized for each specialty. With this regulation, MOS 383 was split. The regulation provided for MOS 1383, fire chief, with authorized grades of E-5, E-6, and E-7; and MOS 4383, firefighter. An E-7 fire chief was authorized when four or more fire companies were under single supervision; an E-6 fire chief was authorized for supervising two or three fire companies; and an E-5 was authorized for the position of fire chief of a single company. Grade E-4 was authorized for the position of assistant fire company chief, and E-3 was authorized for the positions of fire truck driver, firefighter, and pump operator. This regulation also indicated that MOS 8383, fire superintendent, would be filled by warrant officers and would be implemented at a later date. This author has not found any records indicating this implementation.
By contrast, the War Department Technical Manual (TM) 12-406, Officer Classification, Commissioned and Warrant (1946), listed the following officer military occupational specialties: firefighting unit commander (9401), fire marshal (9414), and fire prevention officer (9415). The 1946 MOS was a four-digit code. The first digit represented the major group; the second, the subgroup; the other two, the position of the military occupational specialty within the subgroup. For example, in the firefighting unit commander code 9401, (9) indicated the major group, titled protective, intelligence, and investigations services; (4) indicated the subgroup fire protection and prevention; and (01) indicated it was the first MOS in the subgroup.
Change No. 5 to TM 12-406 (1952) indicated that the officer MOS 9401 (firefighting unit commander) was converted to MOS 9414 (fire marshal). This change also indicated that MOS 9411 (fire and aircraft crash rescue officer, staff) was deleted. This is the only reference that this author has found regarding MOS 9411.
Chapter Two
Training
According to records obtained from the US Army Engineer School, the first documented Army Engineer Fire Suppression School was activated on June 1, 1943, at Camp Pontchartrain, LA.
The 1211th through 1214th Engineer Fire Fighting Platoons (EFFPs) and the 2020th Engineer Aviation Fire Fighting Platoons (EAFFPs) conducted their training from July 12 through August 21, 1943. The 2021st through 2029th EAFFPs conducted training from July 26 through September 4, 1943. The 1215th through 1217th EFFPs and 2050th through 2069th EAFFPs conducted their training from October 4 through October 13, 1943. Over four hundred hours of training were provided to each of these units.
On August 10, 1943, the school name was changed to the Engineer Firefighting School, and the training period was reduced from eight to six weeks. Change 1 to Table of Allowances 5-3, dated July 20, 1944, indicates that the Engineer Firefighting School had been relocated from Camp Pontchartrain, LA, to Fort Lewis, WA.
Private correspondence with firefighters during the Korean War mention that they were trained at an engineer firefighting school located at Camp Eta Jima, Japan, or received on-the-job training in Pusan, South Korea. Vietnam War firefighters indicated that they received ten weeks of training at the Fort Lewis, WA, fire school.
During the 1960s the US army fire school was relocated to Fort Rucker, AL. Firefighting personnel were assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company US Aviation School's Technical Support Company and then later to the Firefighter Company (Provisional) for training. While at the school, firefighters received 120 hours of instruction on firefighting and aircraft crash rescue, then were assigned to stagefields and fixed fire stations for two hundred hours of on-the-job training prior to being awarded the firefighter MOS.
This school was closed in 1978 when the army began joint firefighter training with the air force at Chanute Air Force Base, IL. In 1993, Chanute AFB, with its almost 150,000 trained Department of Defense firefighters, was closed on the advice of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, and fire school responsibilities were transferred to Goodfellow AFB, TX. Renamed the Louis F. Garland Fire Academy, this academy is now the home of fire protection for the entire Department of Defense. Here, firefighters attend Advanced Individual Training for the firefighter MOS. Operated by the air force, this joint service school has over 125 air force, army, marine, and civilian instructors.
Army firefighters begin their military careers with nine weeks of basic training at an army training installation. Training for the 12M must meet requirements of Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 6055.6, DOD Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) Program, and Army Regulation 420-1, Army Facilities Management. Trainees must maintain the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) academic standard of 70 percent, but also must successfully complete several physically demanding tasks, as well as standardized written and performance evaluations, to graduate.
Upon completion of basic training, soldiers are sent to the Louis F. Garland Fire Academy for advanced individual training. Here the school curriculum is broken into six blocks. Block 1 is first responder training, covering topics from CPR to childbirth; Block 2 is fire protection fundamentals, dealing with fire behavior, protection and prevention; Block 3, structural firefighting principles, and Block 4, structural fire ground operations, teach students how to understand and fight fires in a building; Block 5 is hazardous materials training, covering awareness, planning, and environmental regulations; and Block 6 teaches airport firefighting, focusing on specialized training for flight line areas.
After completing advanced individual training, soldiers are National Fire Protection Association-certified at the Fire Fighter II, Airport Fire Fighter, and Hazardous Materials operational levels. Soldiers are then assigned to various active-duty units, or Army National Guard and US Army Reserve soldiers return to their home stations and continue their on-the-job training.
To ensure a quality, trained force of army firefighters who meet Department of Defense (DOD) certification standards (per DODI 6055.6), effective October 1, 2007, all MOS 12M firefighters had to meet the certification criteria for the next higher grade before being eligible for promotion to that grade. In order to retain MOS 12M, noncommissioned officers (sergeants, staff sergeants, and sergeants first class) had to become certified for their respective grades by September 30, 2009, for active duty, and September 30, 2010, for reserve components. Noncommissioned officers who failed to complete the required certification training within the stated time were involuntarily reassigned to different MOSs which best met the needs of the army. The minimum requirements for certification and retention at each grade can be found in the Department of the Army Pamphlet 611-21, Military Occupational Classification and Structure.
Prior to promotion to sergeant (E-5), soldiers must complete the certification for Fire Instructor I and Fire Officer I. Upon promotion to sergeant (E-5), these individuals attend a basic noncommissioned officer course in two phases. First is a three-week army engineer common core task training, and then candidates attend the Louis F. Garland Fire Academy to receive the certification for Fire Inspector I and II and Fire Officer II.
Upon selection to sergeant first class, a candidate attends an advanced noncommissioned officer course in two phases. The first phase consists of four weeks of engineer common core tasks, and then attendance at the Louis F. Garland Fire Academy, where they earn certifications as Fire Officer III and IV.
Career progression for army firefighters is unique. They are trained and nationally certified as firefighters in MOS 12M through the grade of E-7. When they are promoted to master sergeant, grade E-8, they leave this MOS and change to MOS 12Z, where they are involved with other engineer specialties not normally associated with firefighting. This is why the soldier/firefighter must attend the engineer common core task training mentioned for the basic and advanced noncommissioned officer courses.
Progress in fire protection within the army has increased greatly in the last few years. This progress has been brought about by the development of new techniques and more efficient equipment. Offsetting this progress, to some extent at least, has been the turnover of military personnel. This turnover is a serious drawback to efficiency, but broad training programs, which include the study of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and building construction, now make the firefighter's training a continuing process.
Chapter Three
The Combat Zone
The presence of military firefighting detachments in theaters of operation is not commonly known or understood, but firefighters play a critical role there. In the report United States Army Reserve in Operation Desert Storm: Engineer Support at Echelons Above Corps (Brinkerhoff, Silva, and Seitz 1992), the 416th Engineer Command states,
The fire-fighting detachments deployed for DESERT STORM did their jobs professionally, but there are some indications that there were too few fire-fighting detachments in the theater to provide adequate coverage. Greatly increased activity at heliports and airfields tended to use the [sic] almost all of the fire-fighting capability that was available, leaving insufficient capability for other facilities. In one instance, for example, a tracked ammunition supply vehicle caught fire in a motor pool and exploded, resulting in 53 personnel hospitalized and damage to a lot of equipment. If fire-fighting equipment had been available, the losses might have been reduced. The experience of DESERT STORM suggests that operating in a relatively undeveloped area requires numerous well-trained, well-equipped fire-fighting detachments to minimize loss from accidental fires or those caused by enemy action. (51-52)
Soldier/firefighters are "layered in protective clothing that insulates [them] from fire, but also raises the body's core temperature significantly ..." When the physical demands and stress of fighting a fire strategically and safely are added, along with an unseen enemy who may decide to engage with small-arms fire or a mortar, this is a recipe for real danger (Gordon 2004).
It is the job of the engineer firefighters to provide fire and rescue protection for aircraft and structures. During stateside duty, firefighters working in the base fire department usually work the same type of shifts—repetitive twenty-four hours on duty, then twenty-four hours off duty, with "Kelly days" (scheduled days off, to reduce the number of hours worked in a pay period)—as their civilian counterparts. However, when these same firefighters are mobilized, they will usually not have the benefit of Kelly days. Some downtime may be given, but if an alarm is sounded when they are off duty, they are required to respond.
The emergency teams conduct daily maintenance of their vehicles and gear, and keep their mission-essential equipment ready so it can be operated at the drop of a match. When not performing these responsibilities, firefighters are training and working on getting various certifications.
Firefighters must respond within one to two minutes after receiving a call. In that short amount of time, they must don their gear, which includes bunker pants, coat, boots, Nomex hood, and a self-contained breathing apparatus. They also carry an ax, pry tool, and flashlight.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from ARMY FIRE FIGHTING by Leroy Allen Ward Copyright © 2013 by Leroy Allen Ward. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Photography Credits....................ixAcknowledgments....................xv
Introduction....................xix
Part I: Combat Firefighters....................1
Chapter 1 Military Occupational Specialty....................3
Chapter 2 Training....................7
Chapter 3 The Combat Zone....................11
Chapter 4 Equipment....................19
Part II: History....................27
Chapter 1 The Beginnings....................29
Chapter 2 World War I....................35
Chapter 3 World War II....................41
Chapter 4 Korean War....................65
Chapter 5 8075th Army Firefighting Company....................73
Chapter 6 Vietnam....................91
Chapter 7 Present Day....................99
Part III: Appendices....................121
Appendix 1 Medals Awarded to Firefighters....................123
Appendix 2 Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths....................133
Appendix 3 Units and Locations/Deployments....................139
Appendix 4 Unit Rosters....................187
Appendix 5 Unit Lineage and Honors....................215
Appendix 6 Korean War Era....................249
Biblography....................251