Ring of Fire

Shades of PEDRO

EDITOR’S Note: The following article is reprinted with the approval of The Retired Air Force Fire Chief’s Quarterly Network Newsletter.

We reported AF firefighters in Iraq assigned to a joint service task force to conduct air rescue

services in country. One of the AF firefighting teams has been located at Eglin AFB and was

interviewed by the QNN editor, on 11 March 2006.

The U.S. Army provides helicopter support, pilots and medical technicians. The Air Force provides

Rescue Air Mobility Squads (RAMS) at two locations--Balad AB in the North and Taji AB in the

South. Baghdad is the demarcation line for the North/South Operations. The Air Force Chief of Fire

Protection, Donald Warner, confirmed the need for this joint task force, which has proven most

valuable for rescue beyond the Base boundary. AF firefighters were picked for their extensive rescue

and forcible entry skills.

Interviewees at the Eglin Fire Department were TSgt Paul Barker, the RAMS team leader and team

member SSgt Philip Quinn. TSgt Barker explained his team was handpicked for this tasking with the

Army. His team joined with 50+ other AF firefighters prior to deployment for four months of intensive

training in Arkansas and Colorado. Training consisted of Department of State and Department of

Justice terrorist tactics and protocol policies in Iraq. Army combat tactics and use of Army small

arms and ammo training gave the AF firefighters a new respect for the Army’s mission. TSgt Barker’s

team was the first AF Team at Balad AB, Iraq with this tasking. They hit the ground running on

13 September 2004 and never stopped. They worked out of the AF Fire Station, which was one of the

best buildings on base, and attached to the Army’s Activity Anaconda, a Medical Evacuation

Helicopter  unit flying H-60s. The Fire Station was immediately notified when the Army Medical Center

received to call for helicopter support. The H-60 would make at hot pickup of the AF RAMS team

with their equipment in front of the Fire Station. One of their missions was a convoy accident near the

 Iraqi/Iran border. The Army driver was badly injured and trapped inside. Both legs were broken,

 and he was pinned by the steering wheel, dashboard, and floor pedals. The vehicle extrication,

 which normally would have taken 30-minutes, took almost one hour to save this soldier’s life.

UH-60 Medi-Vac at Balad AB, Iraq

Upon returning to Eglin AFB, Florida, the Base Commander, Col Edmond Keith, presented the

Bronze Star service medal to TSgt Barker for his actions.

CWO4 Bob Barrow, USAF (ret)