Base Operating Support Contractor (BOSC) firefighters at Naval Support Facility (NSF) Deveselu, Romania, recently conducted interoperability training with their local Romanian civilian and military fire fighters.

Firefighters from the Romanian 99th Military Garrison and the Caracal Municipal Fire Department joined the NSF firefighters in teams, which conducted a live burn, structural training in a vacant building using a barrel, grass, and lumber from palettes.

"The grass makes the smoke, the lumber makes the fire -- that's what makes the combination to fill the structure with smoke and heat," said Fire Chief Richard Hickman of NSF Deveselu Fire and Emergency Services. "The object of the evolution is that they see how we operate when we come to a fire and we see how they operate when they come to a fire."

Each team had the opportunity to conduct several evolutions to share and demonstrate their methods. Following the live burn structural training, NSF firefighters deployed a Firefighter Assist and Search Team (FAST) to practice rescuing two firefighters in distress.

"It's part of our agreement when we take over the mission assignment to perform fire and emergency services here. Our mission is to work with local municipalities and neighboring departments," said Hickman.

The NSF Deveselu firefighters conduct monthly training with their Romanian counterparts focusing on firefighting, structural training, and disaster preparedness.

"We need to know how they operate and they need to know how we operate," said Hickman, "and that's what makes a good partnership."

Similar to a ship, a Navy base uses six lines of operation to stay in the fight: safety, security, housing, Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR), Fleet and Family Services, and the core: the fuels, water and power that keep the base's life support running. Under the safety line of operation, fire and emergency services play a critical role to keep an installation operational. Installations are force multipliers, centers of gravity that support the fleet and allied forces.

NSF Deveselu was established in October 2014 and is the first Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Facility (AAMDF) in Europe. The installation is co-located with the Romanian 99th Military Base, and is several miles from the neighboring city of Caracal. The installation's operations enable the responsiveness of U.S. and allied forces in support of Region EURAFSWA's mission to provide services to the Fleet, Fighter, and Family.

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