After the fire, the foam truck was immediately reloaded under the supervision of MSgt. The story of Epperson's quick thinking on behalf of the injured pilot was a good illustration of the rescuemen's creed. However, the fast, short work of the crash crew was the result of hard and vigorous hours spent rehearsing emergency tactics - plus skill and nerves comparable to an iceberg. Fig 3 El Toro crash crewmen used a lifting crane to simulate the removal of a pilot from a Corsair, which had been flipped over on its back At El Toro, the crash crew is under the surveillance of Lieutenant Colonel Herbert A. Peters, the station operations officer, and First Lieutenant Frank J. Bartosik, the crash officer. In addition to the 90 smoke eaters who provide rescue facilities for the huge West Coast air base, they maintain a 15-man detail at Camp Pendleton's auxiliary landing field where Marine Observation Squadron Six makes its home.
Long hours make the role short on pleasure and even waiting can become work.
An emergency signifies more work. With the exception of a handful, those people who run the front office, the training chief, and the truck Master, El Toro's crash personnel pull three-section duty, one on, two off. The duty section doesn't go anywhere either, unless it's on an emergency call. A tour is 24 hours straight through. Davis and Master Sergeant Thomas A. McClean, of Wollaston, Massachusetts, the training chief, are on call at all times.