Sparky Speaks: Firefighters do much more than name implies

  • Published
  • 100th Civil Engineer Squadron
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Happy New Year, RAF Mildenhall! I'm sure that at some point during the holiday season many of you spotted the occasional fire truck responding to emergencies around the base. Part of our job as firefighters is to respond to many different types of emergencies on and sometimes off base.

Aircraft and structural emergencies, hazardous materials incidents, confined space rescues and medical emergencies are all highly visible incidents that occur on bases throughout the Air Force, and we respond to approximately 480 emergencies per year. However, not all of our firefighters spend the traditional 24 hours on/off duty - some of them work a regular duty day serving as fire dispatchers, training officers, and fire inspectors. Although these are sometimes less noticeable, they are equally important missions of the fire department.

Our Fire Alarm Communication Center is the 911 hub for the base and also directs after-hour Civil Engineer work requests. It is manned 24 hours with five Department of Defense certified telecommunication operators. Their room looks like a mini NASA control center filled with computer monitors to receive building fire alarms the second there is trouble.

The fire department training office is staffed with one military and one civilian firefighter, and they manage and schedule monthly recurring training for 85 firefighters. Additionally, they conduct joint training sessions with our off-base counterparts, and they play a key role in assisting other bases in U.S. Air Forces in Europe with live fire training requirements.

Our Fire Prevention team strives to keep every individual fire safe. They perform facility inspections, informative tours to increase public education along with teaching fire extinguisher use and even include certified child seat installers. They issue burn and welding permits, coordinate on the Air Force Form 332 (Base Civil Engineer Work Request) and conduct monthly fire drills at places such as the Youth Center and Child Development Center, to ensure your children's safety. Our certified child seat-installation specialists will readily inspect your child's car seat and your car's restraint system to make certain that they are compatible with one another, and instruct you on the proper way to install it yourself. And finally, the chip pan extinguishment team offers several live demonstrations, showing the proper way to use fire extinguishers and how to safely extinguish grease fires.

The RAF Mildenhall Fire Department performs many functions, but taking care of Team Mildenhall is our top priority. A fire department is only as strong as the community that supports it and that is why we have an open-door policy.

If anyone would like a tour of the department, please do not hesitate to give us a call at 238-2763 and we will arrange one for you or a group. We would be happy to show you and your family the equipment, fire trucks and everything else we use to get the job done. If you are planning a birthday party, see if Sparky the Fire Dog is available to make a cameo appearance.