86th CES opens house, informs KMC

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Damon Kasberg
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Families from throughout the Kaiserslautern Military Community gathered at Fire Station 1 to attend an open house Oct. 8, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

The event was hosted by the 86th Civil Engineer Squadron to promote Fire Prevention Week.

"Fire Prevention Week allows us to get involved with the public," said Master Sgt. Mark Goenen, 86th CES KMC fire emergency services. "This year's theme is 'Hear the Beep Where You Sleep.' We really want to inform people about their smoke detectors. The batteries in detectors are not forever. If you wait until it's beeping, it may be too late and not work properly.

"Our ultimate goal is to eliminate home fires, but it's very important for all KMC residents on and off base to think about home-fire safety and incorporate the lessons they learn here into their daily habits," Goenen continued.

During the open house, attendees were able to receive information about fire safety including home-fire safety issues, fire extinguisher training and holiday safety tips. Children attending also received safety lessons from firefighters.

"It was good for my oldest son," said Capt. Jason Bland, 86th Airlift Wing executive officer. "He's 5 years old, and we went in the fire trailer. He learned about fire detectors and about dialing 112 in case of an emergency."

The event concluded with a live-fire demonstration, where leadership from throughout Ramstein helped firefighters extinguish an aircraft fire in the burn pit.

"It was an exciting experience," said Col. Brandon R. Hileman, 86th AW vice commander. "Fighting a simulated fire helps put in perspective the importance and bravery of our firefighters. I'm happy they organized this event to help inform our base community about fire prevention." 

Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 fire that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.