Master Sgt. Kevin Shows, 403rd Civil Engineer Squadron heating, ventilation and air conditioning craftsman, works on a condensing unit for an air conditioner May 5 at the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters” facilities at their forward operating location at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. This is slated to be the last storm season for the civil engineers to maintain the facility in St. Croix due to the 403rd CES scheduled inactivation Sept. 15, 2015. (Courtesy photo) Share

Staff Sgt. Walter Pinkerton (left), 403rd Civil Engineer Squadron water and fuels system management craftsman, and Senior Airman Nathin Schuessler, 403rd CES structural journeyman, repaint faded lines on the airfield taxiways May 5 at the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters” forward operating location at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. This is slated to be the last storm season for the civil engineers to maintain the facility in St. Croix due to the 403rd CES scheduled inactivation Sept. 15, 2015. (Courtesy photo) Share

Air Force Reserve firefighters with the 403rd Civil Engineering Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, douse a fire during an annual structural fire exercise at the Gulfport International Airport Dec. 7, 2014 during the 403rd Wing Unit Training Assembly. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Brian Lamar) Share

Senior Airman Shelby McGee, a reservist and firefighter with the 403rd Civil Engineering Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, performs a hyrdraulic ventilation procedure to pull the smoke from the room during an annual structural fire exercise at the Gulfport International Airport Dec. 7, 2014 during the 403rd Wing Unit Training Assembly. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Brian Lamar) Share

Tears of joy flowed in the Roberts Consolidated Maintenance Facility Sept. 1 as family members of a dozen 403rd Wing civil engineers welcomed them back from a six-month deployment to Southwest Asia. Among them was Staff Sgt. Thomas Frisbie, who was greeted at the door by his mother, Ms. Chris Bush. During a reception held in the Roberts Auditorium here, 403rd Wing commander Col. Jay Jensen commended the civil engineers, saying “Thank you very much for your service. I appreciate it and your nation appreciates it. We’re glad you’re back.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael Duhe) Share

Staff Sgt. Joshua Ladner, 403rd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, hauls a fire hose toward a mock-up to support the primary handline crew fighting the blaze. The Live Fire Burn exercise, held during the May unit training assembly at the Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center, Miss., is part of the firefighters’ annual training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share

Senior Airman Rufus Watkins (right) and Airman 1st Class Clay Dixon, 403rd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters, board a mock-up to put out an interior fire during a Live Fire Burn exercise at the Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center, Miss. As part of the handline crew, these Citizen Airmen tackle smaller fires on and around the airplane while the rescue crew extracts aircrew members and initiates engine shutdown. Firefighters need to know shutdown procedures for all aircraft assigned at their location. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share

Senior Airman Rufus Watkins (right) and Airman 1st Class Clay Dixon, 403rd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters, douse a fire during a Live Fire Burn exercise at the Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center, Miss. The exercise, held during the May unit training assembly, is part of the firefighters’ annual training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share

Senior Airman Dwight Smith, 403rd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, secures his breathing mask as he dons his J-Fire suit to battle an interior fire on a mock-up during a Live Fire Burn exercise. The exercise, held during the May unit training assembly at the Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center, Miss., is part of the firefighters’ annual training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share

Master Sgt. Mark Toepfer, 403rd Civil Engineer Squadron fire department health and safety officer, stands by with the “dead-man” switch, a safety device that shuts off the fire if needed. A tank holding 1,200 gallons of propane fuels the fire burning around and on the mock-up. An observer in the tower beyond the aircraft also can manually extinguish the fire, and the system has an automatic shut-off if the temperature reaches 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share

403rd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters spray water from a turret atop an aircraft rescue firefighting truck to put out a mock-up aircraft fire during the May unit training assembly. This particular ARFF truck only holds 1,000 gallons of water and 180 gallons of foam suppressant, so firefighters need to shoot precision bursts to extinguish the fire. The Live Fire Burn exercise, held at the Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center, Miss., is part of the firefighters’ annual training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share

Fire blazes around a mock-up during a Live Fire Burn exercise at the Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center, Miss., during the May unit training assembly. 403rd Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters use the facility to practice putting out interior and exterior aircraft fires as part of their annual training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens) Share