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MOUNT HOPE, W.Va. - Visitors to the 2013 Boy Scout Jamboree
enjoyed the zip lines, tree house, skate park and many other
amenities and activities provided at the nine-day event thanks to
the hard work and dedication of many organizations, volunteers and
first responders in the local community.
One such group of
emergency responders is the firefighters of the Mt. Hope Volunteer
Fire Department. However, the small community department isn't alone
in their efforts. Six members of the Martinsburg-based 167th Airlift
Wing Fire Department have joined forces with local firefighters and
the BSA fire team to support the Jamboree.
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Josiah Bennett, Mt. Hope Fire Department, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Donald Broschart,
a firefighter with the 167th Airlift Wing Fire Department, man the
hose during pump training at the Mt. Hope Fire Department on July
17, 2013. Members of the Martinsburg-based Airlift Wing are
assisting with missions at the Boy Scout Jamboree and the local
station. Members of both stations have also spent time training on
each other's equipment. (Photos by Sgt. Anna-Marie Ward, W.Va.
National Guard Public Affairs)
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“Our mission here is to support the Mt. Hope Fire
Department and the community,” said Senior Master Sgt. Bruce
Crisman, Assistant Chief of Training, 167th Airlift Wing
Fire Department. “Our primary mission is support of the
helicopters coming and going up on the Summit ... support of
fire suppression up at the camp itself.”
Crisman
added they have assisted with heat exhaustion cases, medical
calls in the community and a structure fire in nearby Oak
Hill. firefighters have also been on the roads when buses
brought boy scouts to the Summit site Monday.
Two
Air Force firefighters are positioned out at the Summit
Bechtel Reserve at all times to assist crews with the
scouts. “We've been running medicals and landing
helicopters,” said Airman 1st Class Cory Roberts, a
firefighter with the 167th Airlift Wing.
The majority
of the firefighters' missions have involved medical aid and
heat-related illnesses. However, some missions have been
more than the men expected. On Tuesday, Summit firefighters
were called out to take care of a rattlesnake nest that was
discovered on the site.
“Sometimes, when you don't
know who to call, you call the fire department,” Crisman
said.
“The warmer the weather, the more activity we
have,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey Gengler, Fire Chief,
167th Airlift Wing Fire Department. “The scouts get somewhat
dehydrated, so we're assisting with that.”
In
addition to running missions, deflecting wildlife and
tending to scouts in need, the two fire crews have taken
some time to cross train on each others' equipment and
tactics.
“We do day to day training in our career
field,” Crisman said. “We also use that training in our job
here. We've helped train some of these guys here. It's kind
of like sitting around sharing our stories ... it's really
great, it works well and we enjoy doing it.”
Volunteers from the Mt. Hope Department have had the
opportunity to train on the 167th's P-19 Crash Truck, which
has capabilities that the MHVFD vehicles do not.
Firefighters also train with each other every day, sharing
experiences, tactics and techniques and stories of past
missions.
“It's an opportunity to work with other
men who have an insight on different things that you never
see,” said Lt. Joey Criss, Mt. Hope Volunteer Fire
Department. “You can talk to them and they can tell you
their experiences and you can tell them your experiences. I
think that it is a great opportunity that everyone should
have.”
“We're working well together,” Roberts echoed.
“I've never met these guys a day in my life but we come
together and it's like a big family.”
Crisman added
the community has been welcoming of the increase in military
personnel. He noted the home-cooked meals from wives,
mothers and other residents have added to the group's morale
during their time in Fayette County.
“The Mt. Hope
Fire Department and the town of Mt. Hope has really been
hospitable to us,” he said. “We enjoy helping out with our
state and the Boy Scouts.”
More photos available below
By U.S. Army Sgt. Anna-Marie Ward
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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