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SCANG Airman thinks fast during UTA fire

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Stephen Hudson
  • 169th FW/PA
MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, South Carolina --     A quick-thinking Airman potentially saved a building on base from damage when an electrical fire broke out in the kitchen of the on-base dining facility here during November drill.

   Senior Airman Walter James, with the 169th Force Support Squadron, was in the kitchen during the lunch rush in the dining facility when the fire broke out. James, who has been in the SCANG for three years, acted quickly, grabbing a fire extinguisher and dousing the flames as the building was safely evacuated.

   "I was just acting on impulse," James said.  He added his first thought was to grab the fire extinguisher. He recently completed fire extinguisher training and that training helped him know what to do.

   " I am extremely proud of our two on-scene airmen, Senior Airman Walter James and Staff Sgt. Kanesha Williamson, for stepping in and putting out the fire as fast as they did. They followed all the safety protocols taught by their supervisors and are a true testament to the concept - Right Person, Right Place, Right Time!" said Maj. Jack Phillips, commander of the FSS.