MacDill firefighters along with Tampa firefighters; safety and survival training Published May 15, 2008 By Airman 1st Class Katherine Holt 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs MACDILL AFB, Fla -- While responding to multiple fires in the old condemned housing, MacDill and Tampa firefighters had to use many different maneuvers to safely evacuate themselves from the flame-engulfed buildings. Luckily for these firefighters and residents of MacDill, this was just training. MacDill firefighters along with instructors and new recruits from the Tampa Fire Department participated. MacDill firefighters and Tampa firefighters train together because they work together. Tampa Fire Department supplied the training equipment and MacDill supplied the buildings. The condemned houses were used to set up scenarios for all types of situations these men could encounter during a house fire. Each house had instructors teaching and observing the firefighters to make sure they completed their tasks in a timely and precise manner. The houses were labeled as bail Outs, entrapments and entanglements and Denver Drill. "We have simulators, but the importance of having actual buildings to use for training is indescribable," said Wayne Tolzman of Tampa Fire Station Five, Driver Engineer. "We can't get better real-life training than this." The first sight when walking into this training environment were firemen in full gear escaping from a window by sliding down a ladder head first. When they were midway down the ladder, they used their upper body strength to turn themselves to land on their feet. This is called a bail out. This is mostly used when a flash over occurs. A flash over is when a whole room becomes enflamed. Bailing out of a window is their safest bet. Meanwhile, in another house across the yard labeled entrapments and entanglements, firemen are learning how to free themselves from wires. The instructors used a box frame full of hanging and straggling wires, entangled the firefighters in the wires, and timed them to see how long it took the men to untangle themselves. The Denver Drill was in the next house. The Denver Drill is a name used for breaking down a wall until the whole is big enough to escape through. The Denver Drill was given its name for a firefighter who died in a house fire because he was trapped in a room full of flames with no way to get out. The last house combined all of these situations and maneuvers and even included a fireman's carry. The Fireman's carry taught firemen how to rescue their own by using the equipment that their fallen firefighter was wearing. "This has helped develop skills and techniques that we would not have gained unless we had this opportunity," added Airman Benjamin Gonsales, 6th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter. Continuous training like this improves fire tactics and strategies that are used in a fire environment. Training instills a constant state of readiness, added Tech. Sgt. Micheal Kellebrew, 6th Civil Engineer Squadron FireProtection, fire inspector and life safety educator. MacDill Fire Department and the Tampa Fire Department work hand in hand. Sometimes Tampa Fire Department will be called out to MacDill to assist in a house fire and vice versa. This training gets the two departments familiar with one another, which comes in handy when working together on the outside.