Massachusetts Air Guard and Westfield Firefighters Train at Abandoned Home
During an Oct. 20 training session at an abandoned home on Falcon Drive, personnel from the Massachusetts National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing Fire Department boosted their firefighting skills and cooperation with local emergency personnel.
The exercise brought firefighters together just outside the gates of Barnes Air National Guard Base to build relationships, develop trust, and ensure that crews from both the 104th and the city operate with shared training, procedures, and expectations.
How the Falcon Drive Training Came Together
This training opportunity arose when Andrew Villari, acting for NorthPoint Development after buying the 168 Falcon Drive property, spoke with Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe.
“Opportunities like this strengthen preparedness, enhance interagency cooperation and ultimately help keep our residents and first responders safe,” McCabe said.
Neighboring fire departments, the 104th Fighter Wing, the Westfield Police Department, and the Westfield Regional Dispatch Center were all brought together for a comprehensive training exercise organized by Westfield Fire Chief Eric Bishop.
“By training, planning and responding together, we improve our collective response capabilities,” Bishop said. “This partnership enhances our effectiveness during emergencies and ultimately helps us protect the community we serve together.”
Firefighters Train in Abandoned Residential Structure
For Assistant Chief of Training Joe Lamour of the 104th Fighter Wing Fire Department, the abandoned residential structure offered a valuable addition to the department’s training program. The unfamiliar residential structure presented different challenges than the facilities firefighters typically encounter, providing a controlled, lower-stress environment to build familiarity and trust before facing actual emergencies.
Drills covered structural firefighting, searching and rescuing amidst zero-visibility conditions, utilizing thermal imaging tools, alongside both destructive and nondestructive methodologies.
For Airman Mason Nichols, a newly assigned firefighter with the 104th who recently returned from military training, the exercise provided experience beyond technical school or base facilities. Military firefighters typically train in military facilities, on the flight line, and in specialized burn houses. Exposure to Westfield firefighters introduced Nichols to varying building materials, sloped roofs, and the unique difficulties involved in searching a real home.
“Whether our crews or theirs, we are inherently required to trust one another to get the job done and keep each other safe,” said Lt. Travis Witbeck, a firefighter with the 104th Fighter Wing who frequently trains with the department. “Training with each other, just as gaining mutual experience at actual fires, reinforces that trust and makes everything go much smoother and, most importantly, safer.”
Expanding Beyond the Fireline
Personnel from the Westfield Regional Dispatch Center also took part in the event, giving dispatchers an opportunity to view operations firsthand and link familiar radio voices with the actual emergency responders.
The 104th Fighter Wing and Westfield Fire Department regularly work together through local mutual aid agreements. Joint operations range from tackling structure fires to dealing with car crashes, where Westfield routinely calls upon the 104th’s water tanker to supply a mobile water source.
For the 104th Fighter Wing and Westfield first responders, this exercise served as an investment in a partnership that extends beyond the gates of Barnes Air National Guard Base to strengthen community safety.
