Andrew
06-16-2008, 07:15 PM
http://www.kscfirefighters.com/images/patchflame_w.gifWith no financial backing or support from Space Gateway Support or NASA/USAF Fire Administrations, CCAFS/KSC Firefighter's traveled in late May to the South Carolina Fire Academy on their own dime for IFSAC/DOD Airport Fire Fighter Certification Training.
Under the new RFP for NASA's Agency Wide Protective Services Contract, members seek national Proboard/IFSAC/DOD certifications in order to protect their jobs under the new contract language. While spending thousands of dollars members wait to hear if they will be offered continued employment.
Photos from the training: http://www.kscfirefighters.com/scfa/
Fire protection at both the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is provided under contract by Space Gateway Support (SGS) from seven fire stations spread throughout the two complexes. “There are a total of 153 fire fighters that make up the fire department,” said Fire Chief Gerald Wimberly. On duty staffing is comprised of 43 fire fighters that staff a total of 10 fire apparatus on a daily basis. All of the fire fighters are required to meet certification that is compliant with NFPA standards, be it through the state of Florida or the Department of Defense. Many of the fire fighters come to the department with extensive experience either in the military or through municipal fire departments.
While there are certainly special hazards at KSC, it also has many of the same risks as any other community. “We are like a small city in that we take care of the very things that happen to citizens of any city,” said Wimberly. “However, we do not fight a lot of fire. One of the reasons is the safety measures at the center and the Air Force side. There is a good inspection and engineering program that keeps our fire loss at a very low level.” In 2002 there was only $400.00 in fire loss on the complex according to Wimberly.
Along with the structural fire protection, the fire department also provides ARFF protection at two airstrips. While one of the most dramatic aircraft landings is the shuttle, many other aircraft are landing on a regular basis. The department uses ARFF vehicles just as any fire department may use them during landings, but they also have some specialized uses. “We use them for standby on hazardous situations such as at a launch pad when they are offloading tanker cars of liquid oxygen or hydrogen. We will place an ARFF vehicle there because of its unique abilities of carrying its own water supply and rapid response (to an incident).”
Another facet that the department is heavily involved in is wildland fire fighting. There is a large environmentally sensitive area surrounding the facilities at KSC. This involves extensive coordination among several different agencies if a fire should break out. “U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Forest Service take care of any fire fighting outside of the pads or facilities that we have…we only become involved if it encroaches on any the facilities or pads.” The fire fighters are trained and equipped for basic wildland fire fighting. In addition, the NASA helicopter fleet is equipped with Bambi buckets that provide for airborne fire fighting capabilities.
Under the new RFP for NASA's Agency Wide Protective Services Contract, members seek national Proboard/IFSAC/DOD certifications in order to protect their jobs under the new contract language. While spending thousands of dollars members wait to hear if they will be offered continued employment.
Photos from the training: http://www.kscfirefighters.com/scfa/
Fire protection at both the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is provided under contract by Space Gateway Support (SGS) from seven fire stations spread throughout the two complexes. “There are a total of 153 fire fighters that make up the fire department,” said Fire Chief Gerald Wimberly. On duty staffing is comprised of 43 fire fighters that staff a total of 10 fire apparatus on a daily basis. All of the fire fighters are required to meet certification that is compliant with NFPA standards, be it through the state of Florida or the Department of Defense. Many of the fire fighters come to the department with extensive experience either in the military or through municipal fire departments.
While there are certainly special hazards at KSC, it also has many of the same risks as any other community. “We are like a small city in that we take care of the very things that happen to citizens of any city,” said Wimberly. “However, we do not fight a lot of fire. One of the reasons is the safety measures at the center and the Air Force side. There is a good inspection and engineering program that keeps our fire loss at a very low level.” In 2002 there was only $400.00 in fire loss on the complex according to Wimberly.
Along with the structural fire protection, the fire department also provides ARFF protection at two airstrips. While one of the most dramatic aircraft landings is the shuttle, many other aircraft are landing on a regular basis. The department uses ARFF vehicles just as any fire department may use them during landings, but they also have some specialized uses. “We use them for standby on hazardous situations such as at a launch pad when they are offloading tanker cars of liquid oxygen or hydrogen. We will place an ARFF vehicle there because of its unique abilities of carrying its own water supply and rapid response (to an incident).”
Another facet that the department is heavily involved in is wildland fire fighting. There is a large environmentally sensitive area surrounding the facilities at KSC. This involves extensive coordination among several different agencies if a fire should break out. “U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Forest Service take care of any fire fighting outside of the pads or facilities that we have…we only become involved if it encroaches on any the facilities or pads.” The fire fighters are trained and equipped for basic wildland fire fighting. In addition, the NASA helicopter fleet is equipped with Bambi buckets that provide for airborne fire fighting capabilities.