Story by Courtney Pollock March 24, 2022 at 03:41AM Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) recently hosted 442nd Air Force Reserve unit to fulfill their reserve duty as well as complete annual training requirements, March 7-19, 2022. This deployment provided a unique opportunity between two services to integrate and train together. “We currently train on a regular basis with Moron F&ES and the Spanish Navy bomberos, but this is significant because it is the first time we've had this level of interoperability with any branch of service outside of the Navy F&ES,” said Thomas Wiley, training chief for NAVSTA Rota F&ES. Early in the planning stage, Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Johnson, 442nd’s fire chief, contacted Wiley regarding training opportunities in Rota during their deployment to Moron Air Base near Seville, Spain. It was later decided that it would be more advantageous for the unit to stay in Rota to maximize training while minimizing travel time. This would also allow the reserve unit to augment Rota’s current manning allowing the local command to reduce overtime hours, provide time off for military firefighters, and allow additional Rota personnel to complete the emergency medical technician course.
