broken up into six blocks of instruction, varying in length, that include: First Responder/EMS Fire Protection Fundamentals/Fire Behavior Structural Firefighting/Vehicle Extrication Structural Fire Ground Operations Hazardous Materials Awareness and Operations Airport Firefighting Initially, the fire training was designed to weed out those who could not perform. However, in the last 10 years the 80% test requirement to pass was lowered to 70%, and the 8-minute timed 'Firefighter's PT' passing requirement was eliminated in order to lower the wash-out rate. Special Operations Fire Department Special Operations are any category of operation that exists outside the normal mission of firefighting. The “bread and butter” operations of a fire department typically include fire suppression, ventilation, ladder operations, fire ground searches, etc. These fall under the category ‘standard operations.’ Special Operations are "those emergency incidents to which the fire department responds that require specific and advanced training and specialized tools and equipment," and include specialized rescue operations such as High Angle, Trench, Confined Space, and Swift Water Rescue, Marine firefighting, Hazardous Material Response, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), military units also have Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), and in some instances, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF). These special operations required additional training and certification to perform. Often, these tasks are performed by heavy rescue or squad units. In the 1960s Airborne Firefighting training was conducted at Stead AFB, NV, later moving to Sheppard AFB, TX for firefighting assignments with Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadrons. Airborne Rescuemen Beginning in 1964 in Da Nang and Bien Hoa Air Bases in Vietnam, the USAF Air Rescue Service began using Kaman HH-43 Huskies for local base recovery (LBR) and aircrew recovery (ACR) missions. Assigned to these "Pedro" flights, as they became known by their callsigns, were typically a tailored combination of Pilot, Copilot, Flight Engineer/Crew Chief, Aeromedical Technician, Airborne Rescuemen/Firefighters, a Pararescue Jumper (PJ) and a Flight Mechanic/Engineer. These flights are currently crewed by USAF Pararescuemen today. Firefighters assigned to these units were called Airborne Rescuemen (ABR). All Pedro units had (ABR) Airborne Rescuemen/Firefighters assigned. During the Vietnam War HH-43 aircrews saved more lives in combat than crews flying any other USAF helicopter. From 1966 to 1970, they performed a total of 888 combat saves—343 aircrew rescues and 545 non-aircrew rescues. It was an HH-43 that carried Airman 1st Class William H. Pitsenbarger on his Medal of Honor mission on April 11, 1966. Pedro 44 October 10, 1968,