By 1st Lt. Michael Ricke
3ABCT UPAR, 1st Cav. Div.
FORT HOOD, Texas - When gunnery is in full swing at Fort Hood, Texas, vehicles rumble, rounds fly - and occasionally, those hot rounds ignite small fires in training areas.
The Fort Hood Fire Department is more than equipped to handle situation like these and train to keep skills fresh and familiar. Firefighters not only need those skills but the knowledge of how to evacuate personnel from some of the vehicles firing those rounds.
Staff Sgt. Justin Lamar, a native of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and master gunner assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, trained 10 firefighters from the Fort Hood Fire Department on the capabilities and rescue procedures of the M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
"The training here was great and should be conducted at least on a quarterly basis in order to cycle through and re-certify the fire department personnel on Fort Hood," said Capt. Noel Charpentier, a native of Harker Heights, Texas and Station 1 supervisor captain with the Department of Emergency Services/Fire and Emergency Services Fort Hood. "Any opportunity we have to train with military units and learn about the upgrades on the vehicles is invaluable."
Lamar gave an overall brief on the vehicle's capabilities and common issues to deal with when conducting recovery operations. Following the brief, the personnel from the Fort Hood Fire Department inspected and explored the vehicle and were free to ask questions to expand their familiarity.
They asked question relating to the electrical systems, such as how to cut them off if necessary, and the multiple ways to extract personnel from the vehicle.
"It is reassuring that emergency services are eager to learn evacuation procedures and are always enhancing their overall readiness," said Sgt. Kevin Bateman, a native of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a Bradley gunner with Co. C.
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