MCRD Parris Island -- The morning of July 23 started off quietly for the Parris Island Fire Department, which was a silent relief compared to the hectic and busy weekend.
The past two 24-hour shifts had been swamped with calls, and many of the firefighters there expected Monday to be the same.
Each shift consists of 16 people who are all certified firefighters and emergency medical technicians.
The crew’s day started at 7 a.m., and so did the firefighter’s daily tasks of maintenance and training.
The first duty was checking over the fire engines and ensuring they had the proper gear and were ready for a full day’s work. Robert Banfield, firefighter/paramedic, PIFD, spent the morning checking Engine Three’s fluid levels and verifying that all the equipment would be ready and running smoothly when they needed it.
By 9 a.m., the checks were complete and Engine Three’s crew was on its way to Naval Hospital Beaufort to become familiarized with the area.
The fire department has been servicing the area for several years. However, it wasn’t until four years ago, when the fire station on the Naval Hospital was closed, that the Parris Island Fire Department took it on as their responsibility.
Familiarization of the service area is part of the firefighter’s everyday training and is crucial to the success of responding to emergencies.
During the familiarization, the crew visited the areas they service to learn the routes, locations of fire hydrants or other water access points and the design of buildings they may be called to.
Each objective of the area familiarization serves a unique purpose. However, all of them contribute to the main effort– saving lives.
Learning the routes allows the rescue crew to arrive on location in a timely manner using the most up-to-date and quickest path. Having knowledge of the water sources in the area helps firefighters keep the fire engine full of water, but most important lesson, may be the layout of the buildings.
Knowing the design of a building helps save not just the lives of those trapped inside the buildings, but also the lives of the firefighters.
According to Dan Powers, firefighter/paramedic, PIFD, knowing the blueprints of a house is crucial to a mission’s success. An example of this is the family housing located at the Naval Hospital. The houses were constructed with flat roofs. However, for a more aesthetically pleasing appearance, angled roofs were placed on the houses.
This is important for the firefighters to know. If they try to release the pressure of a house by cutting a hole into the visible roof, it will have no affect on the pressure inside the house because another roof is underneath it. This will cause the pressure to continue to rise within the house, which may end in a fatal incident once the doors are opened known as a “backdraft.”
It wasn’t until 10 a.m. when the crew returned from their familiarization training and finally had a chance to sit down.
The staff of the fire department works on a day-on-day-off rotation with a three-day break every two weeks. However, their time on duty can be extremely demanding.
During a shift, a firefighter may work all day performing fire calls and medical services for recruits, permanent personnel and families aboard Parris Island and Naval Hospital Beaufort, in addition to fulfilling physical training requirements and continuing their fine education classes.
The firefighters say that while not on call or in training, it is imperative they build camaraderie with one another.
“We’re a tight family,” said Missy Thorpe, paramedic/firefighter, PIFD. “You can go to any fire house and see [that] it’s like a second family.”
To create a fun and friendly atmosphere, the firefighters spend time talking to one another, playing cards and board games and playing pranks on the other firefighters.
Smiles and laughs may be heard while things are calm. However, once the alarm sounds, the staff springs into action.
All joking ceases as they run down the stairs and put on their protective gear. The crew, which varies in size depending on the nature of the call, jumps into the fire engine and heads out to the scene.
An engine is always sent for a fire alarm. Depending on the nature of the call, an ambulance may accompany the engine in case it is needed.
The ambulances are fully equipped with life support, and have never lost a patient during transport, said Banfield.
The afternoon remained calm at the fire station, and the firefighters were in their gym exercising and talking until a piercing noise shattered the silence.
At approximately 3 p.m., a Marine from Khe Sanh Range called to report a brush fire. The crew of Engine One shot into action and headed to the burning range.
When they arrived, the crew could see smoke rising from the ground. The firefighters wasted no time. They quickly approached each individual fire and flooded it with water to ensure the area would not rekindle.
Even though this was easily controlled, it still required protective gear. The added layers of protection may have provided a safe gaurd against the flames, but not from the heat. For one hour, the crew sweated away while fighting the fires.
The gear worn weighs approximately 75 pounds, with the air tank, said Captain Mike Keller, engine captain, PIFD. It’s likened to being in military operational protective posture gear level four.
After extinguishing the fire, Keller explained that heated sulfur from the tracer rounds ignited the dry grass.
After putting out several fires, the crew headed back to the station. However, this would not be the last call of the day.
The Engine One crew returned to the station at 4 p.m. and began to clean off their gear, but within 30 minutes the alarm sounded again. This time an ambulance was required because the alarm came from a building.
The call came from the 1st Recruit Training Battalion Mess Hall. The firefighters ran in to secure the area and locate any flames, but luckily it was just high temperatures in the kitchen. However, the firefighters treated it as they should - a life or death situation.
“Most of the calls we get aren’t real fires,” said Keller. “But you can’t treat them like that. You can’t become complacent because the one time you do – that’s the real fire.”
As the afternoon turned to evening, the fire station calmed down, and the crew waited patiently and diligently for their next call to duty, ready to put their lives on the line.