Fire muster tests Nellis firefighting skills Published Oct. 13, 2010 By Mr. Lawrence Crespo Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The 99th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Protection Flight hosted the 4th annual Nellis Fire Muster at the sports pavilion here on Oct. 8. The fire muster competition is an event pertaining to fire and rescue services. This year's muster concluded the annual Fire Prevention Week. The friendly competition pitted 14 Nellis and Creech teams as they went head-to-head in four events to test their firefighting efficiency, speed and skills. "This competition creates camaraderie between participants and helps them understand first-hand how firefighters use their training and skills to battle fires." said Mr. Ramon Fitzgerald, assistant fire chief. The first event, the bucket brigade, tested teamwork and coordination skills. Each team member carried a bucket of water and poured it onto the roof of a small building until they filled up a 55-gallon barrel. Next, participants flexed their muscle and endurance with a six-stop confidence course. The course included a fire-hose carry, a hose pull/drag, a dummy drag, Kaiser sled and fire-hose roll up. For some this was the most challenging phase of the competition as each member ran the timed course. Teams also tested their speed and hand skills with the hose relay. Individual members connected various hoses and the team hit a target with a pressurized fire hose. Afterwards, teams used sheer strength to pull a P-19 Aircraft Rescue Firefighting vehicle. The final fun event of the morning was a water hose tug-of-war. A metal barrel was suspended on a cable as each opposing team tried to move it to the opposite end using a high pressured fire hose. "Today's competition was fun but physically demanding and I gained a lot of respect for our fire fighters." said Master Sgt. Christopher Howe, the 99th Air Base Wing wing staff agency first sergeant. At the end of the day many met new friends and enjoyed barbeque chicken and burgers provided by the Nellis Fire Department. This year's winner was the USAF Warfare Center's legal office; they had the highest combined points and took home the traveling fire muster trophy.
