U.S. Air Force Prepares Iraqi Firefighters
Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq - BAGHDAD — How is progress measured? How can
you tell if your hard work has actually made a difference? For two U.S. Air Force sergeants, progress can be measured in the number of skilled and qualified Iraqi firefighters they have trained.
“When I first arrived, we were training Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) firefighters in Taji with very little equipment,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brian Partido. “The Iraqis didn’t have a formal training program for their firefighters. Most of what was learned was received through on-the-job training.”
Over the course of a year, Iraqi fire training has moved from those humble beginnings to a new complex in Baghdad. The Iraqi National Firefighter Academy offers classrooms for practical training and a vehicle and building for hands-on fire training.
“This facility and the program give the Iraqis a unified professional standard,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jay Wingfield.
Since January, the Fire Academy has held numerous classes, including a Firefighter Manager’s and Firefighter Basic Course. Members of the IqAF and Civil Defense take part in the training.
“In the beginning, we were very hands on with the training,” Partido said. “Now the Iraqis are taking
the lead and we’re standing back in an advisory role.”
Wingfield said he was surprised during a recent basic class. “In the past, the Civil Defense and Air Force instructors kept themselves separate,” he said. “But in this class they were working together. They were picking up what we gave them and were running with it. That class graduated 13 Air Force and 13 Civil Defense firefighters.”
The next step for the academy is to increase the number of students. “For the next class, the Iraqis will run two Basic Firefighter classes. The second class will start two weeks after the initial group,” Partido said.
How do Partido and Wingfield measure progress? One class at a time, as they see the growth and development of Iraq’s firefighters.
They are typical of the hundreds of Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq advisors who work with the Iraqi Army, Navy, Air Force, and Security Forces, to build a more capable and professional force to protect the nation and its people.
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