By
Maria Pinel, Soto
Cano Air Base
and the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
Joint Task
Force-Bravo, 612th Air Squadron
firefighters trained 25
firefighters from Honduras,
Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize and
Costa Rica at Soto Cano Air
Base in Honduras* during
Central America Sharing Knowledge
and Mutual Operational
Experiences, known as CENTAM
SMOKE.
Five participants were Costa
Rican and each received basic
training in safety practices,
personal protection equipment,
structural and wildland fires,
aircraft fires, vehicle
extrication and helicopter
familiarization.
During the multinational event,
firefighters had the opportunity
to work as a team and establish
strong bonds of camaraderie and
support among sister nations.
"It is very important to
standardize actions and
terminology so that we can all
understand each other. Being able
to standardize practices in the
Central American region will
strengthen us a lot when we have
to work with colleagues from other
countries," said Alejandra
Antillón, representative of
Guatemala.
Soto Cano Air Base offers an
ideal space for this type of
training. Throughout the week the
Central American firefighters were
exposed to different scenarios and
tests, divided into multinational
teams, and rotating through the
Mobile Aircraft Fire Training at
the Soto Cano flight line,
followed by live structural fires,
vehicle rescue training with a
simulated collision and wildland
fire practices.
"I think the wildland fire
practice is one of the things that
we must work on the most because
climate change is creating
conditions that favor the fast
spreading of fires and sometimes
the support of other countries is
necessary," said Antillon.
Recently the region has been
highly affected by large forest
fires, making this training even
more relevant, with the 612th
supporting recent events in
Comayagua, Honduras.
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"They're receiving
training on this
wildland firefighting
operations to give
them the knowledge so
they can go back to
their home countries
and provide fantastic
support to their
community when it
comes to wildland
fires and it builds
our capabilities along
with our partners so
that if we have to
operate in a joint
environment we will be
effective in stopping
the wildland fire,"
said Senior Master
Sgt. Michael Ott, Fire
Chief, 612th Air Base
Squadron.
The team of highly
qualified instructors
provided four days of
fire and rescue
training, from April 8
to 12 that
helped develop
regional capabilities
and interoperability
among nations.
After completing a
week of challenging
activities, Costa
Rican firefighters
“return to the country
with new knowledge
that they can put into
practice and transmit
to their home
stations, using this
opportunity as a
multiplying effect,”
said 612th Air
Squadron in its
statement.
Statistics from the
Costa Rican fire
department indicate
the majority of
emergencies that have
been attended are
forest fires. This
year 52 fire
emergencies have been
attended, which have
destroyed 7,062
hectares of the
forest.
"This is an alarming
figure, we call on the
citizens to prevent
[fires] this Holy Week
so that we do not have
to put out more
fires," said the
firefighters in its
statement.
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Have
you heard of fires
getting out of control
in the forests in your
community? We would
like to know your
thoughts on this
story. Send your
comments to: news@amcostarica.com
*Link
to reach the place
map.
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