U.S. Air Force Hercules makes emergency landing in St. John's after cabin loses pressure

The C-130 Hercules, like the one seen in this file photo, is used by the USAF for transporting cargo and personnel. (CBC)

By Geoff Bartlett,
CBC News Posted: Jul 28, 2016 9:42 AM
NT Last Updated: Jul 28, 2016 6:07 PM NT

A large transport aircraft belonging to the United States Air Force had to make an emergency landing at St. John's International Airport Wednesday night.

A spokesperson with the airport says the distressed USAF C-130 Hercules arrived at 10 p.m., with 52 people on board.

An emergency response team from the airport, as well as officials from Eastern Health were waiting to assist when the plane landed.

An official with the USAF told CBC some passengers were brought to hospital as a precautionary measure, but there were no reports of injuries.

According to the official, the aircraft was travelling from England to the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in Wheatfield, N.Y., with a scheduled stop in St. John's. During the landing into St. John's Airport, the plane lost cabin pressure — which is why emergency protocol was initiated.

The USAF official said the Hercules was carrying crew and what the military calls Space A passengers, which means active U.S. military members and their families who apply for a seat on the aircraft if extra seats are available.

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a large transport plane typically used for transporting troops and cargo.

18th CES fire inspector keeps Kadena safe

Kenichi Shimajiri, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron fire inspector, stands in front of a fire truck July 27, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Shimajiri was a firefighter for 23 years at Kadena before becoming a fire inspector. As a fire inspector, Shimajiri is responsible for ensuring buildings are free of fire hazards. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lynette M. Rolen)

KADENA, OKINAWA, JAPAN

07.29.2016
Story by Airman 1st Class Lynette Rolen
18th Wing Public Affairs

His career has been more than 20 years in the making. What started out as a humble beginning has now turned into something more influential.

Kenichi Shimajiri, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron fire inspector, rose in the ranks from the role of a firefighter to 18th CES fire inspector.

The job of a fire inspector is to ensure buildings are free of any potential fire hazards and are safe for the people occupying them.

Shimajiri had been a firefighter for 23 years; all of his tenure at Kadena. As Shimajiri grew older, his desire to learn more about his career led him to his current position.

“It sounded like a job for a good man, which is what I wanted when I was younger,” said Shimajiri.

Since 2013, Shimajiri has been a fire inspector and is still helping people.

“As a fire inspector, it’s a totally different feel,” said Shimajiri. “Now, we can prevent fires from happening and try to make it a better, safer area for Kadena as a whole.”

Removing the fire hazards involves many inspections and constant interaction with Kadena’s military members.

“During inspections, we work with the facility manager or anyone involved with the inspection,” said Shimajiri. “We try to get on the same page with both sides.”

Shimajiri has relationships with facility managers and his fellow co-workers in the fire department. Since he’s on the fire prevention side, he interacts often with those on the operations side (firefighters) daily.

“He’s the continuity for us,” said Mike Toyama, 18th CES fire chief assistant. “He’s been working here longer than all these Airmen. People come and they’re new; he’s the go-to guy for asking questions, and he always has the answer for them.”

Toyama has known Shimajiri for 25 years. All of the experience they have gained at Kadena makes them the source of continuity for their fellow fire department personnel.

Shimajiri shows fellow firefighters where to enter certain buildings in the event of a fire and the different strategies they can use.

“They come and ask me questions because I have so much experience,” said Shimajiri. “Everything I know, I teach to them. It’s why I stay here. I have continuity and I can teach them what they need to know, making Kadena safer.”

It’s with this goal of keeping Kadena safe Shimajiri finds fulfillment in his work.

“Every day, I enjoy my job,” said Shimajiri. “It’s very important, not just for the fire department, but for everybody on Kadena. It’s important to maintain safe operations and safe working areas.”

HAZMAT situation at Fairchild Air Force Base sends 14 to hospital

The incident took place around 8:30 a.m. local time at the base’s  Logistics Readiness Squadron in Building 2045, Air Force officials told KXLY.

Fairchild Air Force Base is located approximately 12 miles (20 km) southwest of Spokane. It’s host unit is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, which is assigned to the Air Mobility Command’s 18th Air Force. It opened in March 1942.

Emergency responders are at the scene and investigating the incident, base officials said.

The two dozen base personnel “reported feeling affected by an unknown irritant,” the base said in a statement.

Of them, four are in the emergency room at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Jennifer Semenza, a hospital spokeswoman, told the Spokane Spokesman-Review.

FIRE and ICE cream social

Families line up for ice cream while attending the Fire and Ice ice cream social at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, July 20, 2016. The Exceptional Family Member Program hosted the event in collaboration with the MCAS Iwakuni Fire Department at Fire Station Four, where Japanese firemen and air station residents participated in family activities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Donato Maffin)

IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JAPAN
07.20.2016
Story by Lance Cpl. Donato Maffin
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

The event included ice cream, pictures with Sparky the dog, touring a fire truck and a chance to visit with the station Japanese fire fighters.

“This is just to bring families out around base, to come out and fellowship with other families, meet new people and enjoy some ice cream,” said Allyson Wright, the program manager for the EFMP and coordinator of the Fire and Ice event. “And also get to understand a little about fire safety and tour the fire station and all the trucks.”

The ice cream social attracted many families and teens. During the event, the fire engines were open to sit inside, and the attendees were provided a little bit of knowledge about fire safety.

“I really enjoyed the event,” said Anneliese Hack, a stay-at-home mother at MCAS Iwakuni. “It was a chance for the kids to see the fire station and to learn about fire engines … and the ice cream is always a plus.”

Not only was the the ice cream social an opportunity for families and teens to eat ice cream and see the fire station, but it was also a chance for the station’s Japanese fire fighters to interact with the station residents.

“I had fun today,” said Masashi Yamashita, a fire fighter with MCAS Iwakuni Fire Department. “I don’t have a lot of opportunities to interact with Americans off base, so it’s a great experience for me to interact with them during this event.”

A child high-fives Sparky the Fire Dog, mascot of Marine Corps Iwakuni Air Station fire station, during the Fire and Ice ice cream social at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, July 20, 2016. The Exceptional Family Member Program hosted the event in collaboration with the MCAS Iwakuni Fire Department at Fire Station Four, where Japanese firemen and air station residents participated in family activities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Donato Maffin)

Katrice Boufillier, right, training chief for Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, serves ice cream to families at the Fire and Ice ice cream social at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, July 20, 2016. The Exceptional Family Member Program hosted the event in collaboration with the MCAS Iwakuni Fire Department at Fire Station Four, where Japanese firemen and air station residents participated in family activities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Donato Maffin)

Massachusetts Soldiers save New Jersey woman.

Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Steven Littlefield (from left) Massachusetts National Guard Soldiers Staff Sgt. Dana Francis, Sgt. Tommy Coppola, Spec. John Shively and Pfc. Aaron Amardey-Wellington helped rescue an 87-year-old New Jersey woman Monday who was severely dehydrated after spending the weekend in the woods. Francis and Coppola are both civilian firefighters and mechanics with Forward Support Company - G Co. 186 Brigade Support Battalion – based in Quincy, Mass. Shively and Amardy-Wellington are two medics from Headquarters & Headquarters Battery of the 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment, headquartered in Brockton, Mass., which is currently on Annual Training at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ, UNITED STATES

07.27.2016
Story by Capt. John Quinn
1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ – Two mechanics put their skills as Soldiers and civilian firefighters to use after coming across an 87-year-old woman who spent the weekend stuck in the woods.
Staff Sgt. Dana Francis and Sgt. Tommy Coppola - members of G Co. 186th Brigade Support Battalion, Massachusetts Army National Guard - found the woman Monday afternoon.
The Soldiers were looking for a suitable location to conduct recovery training and spitted the Cadillac, which had become stuck in the soft sand along a wooded tank trail.
“At first we didn’t know what to think of it because it was suspicious,” Francis said, adding they honked the horn several times before approaching the vehicle.
The car had all its doors open and a sunshade in the windshield. Francis said that was when they spotted the woman slumped in the backseat. He added they called to her, but she was “unresponsive.”
“We knew she was breathing,” Francis said, adding they didn’t want to startle or endanger the woman without medical equipment.
The two non-commissioned officers, who are civilian firefighters, immediately headed to a position where members of A Battery of the 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment were conducting part of their Annual Training.
Francis and Coppola found Spec. John Shively and Pfc. Aaron Amardey-Wellington, - both medics of Headquarters & Headquarters Battery of the 1-101 FAR – and guided them to the scene to assess the woman.
“I ran up to the vehicle and found she was just waking up,” Coppola said. “We were thinking the worst when we first started.”
Coppola said the woman was confused at first and unable to explain how she got stuck so deep in the woods which border Highway 539.
After helping the woman into the military ambulance, they learned how she became stuck in the woods Saturday morning and had not had anything to eat or drink – save some rainwater from passing thunderstorms. It appeared she was suffering from severe dehydration and was possibly experiencing heat illness. The weather conditions were extremely hot and the heat index rose more than 100 degrees during the day.
Lt. Col. Holloway, commander of the 1-101 FAR, praised the four Soldiers for their actions.
“It was by chance that the contact team was traveling down this remote tank trail and came across the elderly woman. Their response and quick action are just another example of what being a Citizen-Soldier is about,” Holloway said.
“Those four individuals did the right thing,” Holloway said. “They immediately knew what to do. I’m extremely proud of these great Soldiers.”
While further details about her condition were not available, she was feeling significantly better and talking normally while waiting for her daughter to pick her up, according to officials from Joint Base police.