Altus Airmen train with city’s first responders

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman J. Zuriel Lee
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Airmen from the Altus Air Force Base fire department and members of the City of Altus fire and police departments trained with the local Air Evac Lifeteam May 11 - 12 at Altus Fire Station #1.

The training allowed the local responders to speak with the air evacuation team and review how groups work together. During the training, the air evacuation team discussed their procedures for loading patients into the aircraft and safety procedures to approach the aircraft.

"The department training is good to meet other people," said Jerry Abbott, fire chief of the Altus Fire Department. "When you train with others and you are familiar with them, it makes the mission run a lot smoother."

The agencies conduct combined training exercises three to four times a year.

"It builds teamwork between our agencies. We each bring different benefits to the team to make it successful," said Abbott.

"I like that everyone has a distinct and individual job," said Casey Bussett, a base pilot for the Air Evac Lifeteam. "It's great when we come together and learn what to expect from each other and use those tools to get the mission accomplished."

As the agencies deal with the people's safety and livelihood, it is imperative that each group is capable and knowledgeable of their job and how it affects the work of the other agencies.

"It's very important because we don't get a lot of training with the evacuation team because they are off-site; however, when the time comes when we have to call upon them, they come running," said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ashontay Owens, 97th Civil Engineer Squadron fire prevention craftsman. "It's one of those things where we need to know their operations and know exactly how they work so that we can do our job."