MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. -- Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Fire and Emergency Services participated in a three-day long Man vs. Machine training aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, July 22, 23, and 25. The training was not only for the air station fire department, but also for the Burton Fire District, MCAS Beaufort Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, Jasper County Fire-Rescue, Joint Base Charleston Fire & Emergency Services and Colleton County Fire-Rescue.
P.L. Vulcan Fire Training Concepts, from Brooklyn, New York, taught the course and provided an opportunity for the different departments to enhance their interoperability as well as standardize training and improve readiness.
The training was centered on machinery entrapments such as basic ring removal, limb stuck in construction equipment and full entrapment under aviation equipment.
“Because of all the construction we have here on this base, the possibility of somebody falling on rebar or getting their hand caught in a piece of machinery is high,” said Chief Darran Vaughn, the fire chief at MCAS Beaufort FES. “This makes it ideal training for us.”
Vaughn explained the main takeaway from this training was the opportunity to see situations they haven't seen and be able to think outside the box when needed.
The techniques were broken up into different stations, allowing students enough time to practice each skill.
“They showed us how to use weed eater string to cut through thick plastic,” Vaughn said. “It’s something I’ve never seen, until I got here and then got to use it.”
Adding another tool to your toolbox, as Vaughn describes it, is a key component in upholding the mission readiness and quick response time of the air station. This training is especially important now that it’s hurricane season.
“I hope to bring this training around every two or three years to keep our personnel up to date with these skills,” Vaughn said. “Overall, it wasn’t just the air station that needed this training, but also our counterparts out in town. Training like this is going to pay dividends when it comes to keeping our community safe.”