Camp Zama, Japanese first responders conduct 2016 full-scale exercise

The U.S. Army Garrison Japan conducted its annual full-scale exercise Sept. 12-16 on Camp Zama. The exercise involved various units and organizations that teamed up, participating in emergency training scenarios to ensure the installation is ready to respond in the event of a real-life emergency or crisis. (U.S. Army photos by Lance D. Davis)

JAPAN
09.20.2016
Story by Lance Davis
US Army Garrison - Japan

CAMP ZAMA, Japan (Sept. 20, 2016) — U.S. Army Garrison Japan conducted its annual full-scale exercise Sept. 12-16 on Camp Zama.

Lt. Col Barry Winnegan, director of emergency services for USAG Japan, said the exercise involved various units and organizations that teamed up with local Japanese first responders, participating in emergency training scenarios to ensure the installation is ready to respond in the event of a real-life emergency or crisis.

“We cannot do what we do without our Japanese partners,” said Winnegan.

“They’ve been instrumental in making this exercise a success, and we definitely appreciate their support throughout this week.”

One scenario involved two helicopters carrying hazardous material, crashing into each other at Kastner Airfield’s heliport.

Camp Zama and local Japanese first responders — including firefighters, police and medical teams — arrived on scene to assist the injured and take control of the hazardous material.

“This is a monumental exercise of two nations coming together to figure out how to work together to care for our wounded when we have emergencies,” said Lt. Col. Karen Rutherford, nurse practitioner for U.S. Army Medical Department Activities-Japan, whose role was a doctor in the scenario.

Rutherford said the language barrier was definitely a challenge because they only had one translator on the site, which is why these exercises are so important.

“We need to understand, between our two countries, how to control the chaos that comes with real emergencies like this scenario,” she said.

Another scenario consisted of an active shooter at Zama American High School.

In the scenario, the shooter shot several of the students, which resulted in a school lock down until the shooter was apprehended by military police, followed by an evacuation of the casualties.

First responders came to provide services to the injured victims in the scenario played by students of ZAHS’ theater arts program.

Capt. Brittany Bradey, chief of police assigned to USAG Japan, also acknowledged the language barriers between Americans and Japanese during the exercise, but she said their expertise made conducting the exercise easier.

“Everyone knowing their job and knowing what to do… before and when they get on the ground helps us a lot,” she said. “That’s crucial and helps us out as first responders.”

One Japanese employee who works on Camp Zama said he enjoyed the challenging experience.

Kazuo Makino, deputy fire chief at Camp Zama’s Fire and Emergency Services, said it was nice to experience the exchange between the two cultures during the exercise to get a better understanding of how Americans think.

Several Soldiers and Civilians operated out of the Emergency Operations Center, located in the Garrison’s headquarters building, using a new system called WebEOC that provides incident management capabilities.

The system allowed team members to input and track the latest information for the various scenarios happening around the installation throughout the week.

The units and organizations, including the Directorate of Emergency Services, were also evaluated by representatives from U.S. Army Pacific Command.

Winnegan said he was pleased with the full-scale exercise because it helps to strengthen the United States’ partnership with Japan.

“When there is a real-life emergency, Americans and Japanese can respond swiftly, smoothly, and be successful at it.

“It’s all a part of the plan to ensure the readiness of our first responders and the overall safety our community,” he said.

First responders on the scene of the helicopter crash scenario for the full-scale exercise held at Sept. 12-16 on Camp Zama. (U.S. Army photo by Lance D. Davis)

Taylor Seaman; left, senior at ZAHS, and Asia Jacob; right, sophomore at ZAHS, participate as wounded victims in the active shooter scenario for the full-scale exercise held Sept. 12-16 on Camp Zama. (U.S. Army photo by Lance D. Davis)

First responders transport an injured victim replica for treatment on the scene of the helicopter crash scenario for the full-scale exercise held Sept. 12-16 on Camp Zama. (U.S. Army photo by Lance D. Davis)

USMC Crash Fire Rescue Marine Wing Support Squadron-372

WELLTON, AZ, UNITED STATES
09.19.2016
Photo by Cpl. Abraham Lopez
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Combat Camera

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Adrian Rosas, an aircraft rescue and firefighting specialist with Marine Wing Support Squadron-372 in support of Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) 1-17 explains the capabilities of the Oshkosh P-19R aircraft rescue fire fighting vehicle, at the Site 50 training area, Wellton, Ariz., Sept. 19, 2016. WTI is a seven week training event hosted by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) cadre which emphasizes operational integration of the six functions of Marine Corps aviation in support of a Marine Air Ground Task Force. MAWTS-1 provides standardized advanced tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine aviation Training and Readiness and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Abraham Lopez)

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Burl Nicholson, right, an aircraft rescue and firefighting specialist with Marine Wing Support Squadron-372 in support of Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) 1-17 explains the proper donning and usage of a fire proximity suit at the Site 50 training area, Wellton, Ariz., Sept. 19, 2016. WTI is a seven week training event hosted by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) cadre which emphasizes operational integration of the six functions of Marine Corps aviation in support of a Marine Air Ground Task Force. MAWTS-1 provides standardized advanced tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine aviation Training and Readiness and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Abraham Lopez)

Fort Lee first responders learn emergency K-9 care

Michael Patterson, firefighter, starts an I.V. on a stuffed animal dog in a training situation as Lynn Seward III, a firefighter medic, demonstrates the proper restraining method for the animal as Assistant Chief Brian Harness watches during a training scenario at the Tactical Canine Casualty Care class Sept. 15 at Fire Station No. 2.

UNITED STATES
09.22.2016
Story by Amy Perry
U.S. Army Garrison Fort Lee

FORT LEE, Va. (Sept. 22, 2016) -- Personnel from Fort Lee’s Fire and Emergency Services, along with first responders from the local communities and several members of a special Coast Guard canine group, learned all about Tactical Canine Casualty Care during a two-day session Sept. 14-15 at Fire Station No. 2.

Dr. Janice Baker, a veterinarian and instructor with the Veterinary Tactical Group, taught emergency care for injured military working dogs in a tactical environment.

There’s a variety of training for first responders to react to active shooter incidents and caring for gunshot victims or other serious injuries, said Baker. If a MWD gets hurt, this training prepares those first responders to do emergency care in the field.


“There won’t be a veterinarian right there at the point of injury, but there might be a paramedic or dog handler who can render that first responder treatment on the way to the veterinarian,” she said.

Law enforcement and military dogs are in the line of danger every day, just like their human counterparts, said Baker.

“They face the same hazards,” she said. “Every day there’s a dog injured from some kind of line-of-duty injury. We’re not teaching basic first aid, we’re teaching treatment of life-threatening injuries.”

Often, if these dogs are seriously injured, they need treatment within the first few minutes.

“We all learn about the golden hour of trauma, but it’s really the golden 10 minutes,” she said. “It’s important first responders learn what to do, because their actions right there when the dog is injured are important to saving the dog’s life.”

Baker said she could tell the group was enthusiastic about receiving the training that was new to them.

“This is probably one of the most motivated classes I’ve taught in the seven years of doing this training,” she said. “As soon as we start a new lesson, they are peppering us with questions, eager to learn more.

“When we do the training scenarios, there is a degree of artificiality because we use training dummy dogs that have been altered to have fake wounds … but they take it completely seriously,” Baker continued. “Even with introducing role players like frantic handlers or someone who hit the dog with their car, they handle the situation as if it were real.”

Assistant Chief Brian Harness, chief of emergency medical services, F&ES, helped coordinate get the training at Fort Lee to help his team grow.

“We’re in the process of building our tactical emergency care program,” he said. “We’ve trained the firefighter medics and a large part of the law enforcement population here on how to take care of themselves or other patients we encounter during tactical situations. This is a building block to help take care of the military working dogs or search dogs, for example. But these skills also can help us with pets during emergency situations, like if they are hit by a car or were involved in a house fire.

“We’re learning emergency skills to sustain those animals until we can get them to a veterinarian,” Harness continued. “It’s important to note we are not replacing those doctors, just trying to make sure the animals make it to that care with a better chance of survival.”

The training stresses how dogs are to their handlers or owners, Harness said.

“For many people, their pets are their kids,” he said. “To those handlers, those dogs are law enforcement officers. Those working dogs shot in the line of duty are the same as an officer and receive the same burial honors.

One of Fort Lee’s participants was Fire Capt. John Frampton, hazmat captain and paramedic, who said he enjoyed the class and learned a lot.

“I thought the class sounded interesting, and with all the active shooter training conducted, we’ve learned there’s a chance a working dog could be hurt, and they need to be taken care of,” he said. “They are part of the team, and they should be treated the same.

“In a lot of ways, dogs are similar to humans, but I’ve never received any formal training on taking care of them,” Frampton continued. “If something happened to them, we need the skills to take care of them so they can make it to more definitive care from a veterinarian.”

Harness said he thought the training was beneficial and that the unit is planning to continue it in the future.

A large scale exercise tests multiple agencies prepare to keep Floridians safe.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (September 14, 2016) – Firefighters and 48th CST members suit up to seach the area for the simulated threat during Operation Stone Crab at the Charlotte Sports Park.

FL, UNITED STATES
09.14.2016
Story by Staff Sgt. Christopher Milbrodt
Florida National Guard Public Affairs Office

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (September 14, 2016) – Time spent at a baseball stadium is usually full of laughter, cheers, the smell of the concessions and the sound of America’s favorite pastime being played. However, as people move about the stadium enjoying the game, everything can change in an instant. Once cheering fans can end up gasping for air and scrambling about the stadium trying to make sense of what happened.
Recently, smoke and calls for help filled the air as a horde of volunteers from the local community and students from Charlotte Technical College rushed towards the firefighters who were the first to arrive on the scene. In the midst of the chaos, firefighters worked to safely get the people away from the stadium and begin medical assessments while at the same time addressing the cause for alarm.
The situation was designed as a training exercise between law enforcement and firefighters from all over the state, as well as members of the Florida National Guard, to simulate a Weapons of Mass Destruction attack. Exercise officials took more than four months to plan every detail to make the training as realistic as possible.
“As a Civil Support Team, one of our main missions is to integrate with the first responding agencies,” said Army Capt. Christopher Atherton, 48th CST Operations Officer. “The reason we conduct exercises like this is to facilitate the coordination between the Florida National Guard and our local responders should an event like this occur.”
As the exercise progressed, more agencies were called in to deal with the problem presented while evaluators monitored the performance of the participants.
“Today’s event was designed to exceed the capabilities of the local resources and require them to reach out to mutual aid resources for help,” said Jason Fair, Deputy Chief for Charlotte County Fire and Emergency Medical Services. “With it being a WMD attack, its right up the alley of the National Guard’s Civil Support Teams.”
With terrorist events like this becoming commonplace throughout the world, these exercises make sure our responders are ready for anything.
“One of the key focuses of this exercise is to ensure the civilians of Florida are safe and should a complex coordinated attack happen, all the responders know each other by their first names and have worked with each other before,” said Atherton. “We stand ready and prepared should something like this ever occur.”

Joint Task Force-Bravo honors fallen emergency services personnel during 9/11 ceremony

Members of Joint Task Force-Bravo’s Joint Security Forces, Medical Element and Fire Emergency Services march together during a silent parade held in honor of the emergency services personnel who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, before the start of the 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, Sept. 9, 2016. More than 200 service members met in the JSF compound and marched in the silent parade to the 612th Air Base Squadron's fire department. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Siuta B. Ika)

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, HONDURAS
09.13.2016
Story by Staff Sgt. Siuta Ika
Joint Task Force Bravo

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras - Members of Joint Task Force-Bravo joined representatives of the Honduran Fire Department here Sept. 9 to honor the 447 first responders who lost their lives in the service of others as a result of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Before the formal remembrance ceremony began, more than 200 service members met in JTF-Bravo's Joint Security Forces compound and marched in a silent parade to the 612th Air Base Squadron's fire department.

Following the silent parade, U.S. Army Col. Brian Hughes, JTF-Bravo commander, shared his thoughts about the day that forever changed the people of the U.S. and, particularly, the armed forces.

“On that early fall morning, the United States endured a ferocious blow; a blow that reeked of cowardice, a blow that required immediate action. The New York Police and Fire Departments, along with federal, state and municipal employees of all first responder organizations in New York City, Washington D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania bravely answered the first call to action,” Hughes said. “Through brilliant interagency collaboration, the United States intelligence and law enforcement communities swiftly identified who was responsible for this terrible act and with skillful diplomatic engagements, a strong and unbreakable coalition was formed, and further action was taken.”

“It took a long time, but those directly responsible for the tragic events that unfolded on September eleventh had justice served upon them,” Hughes continued. “Our military has grown exponentially in capability and experience since that day. Our service members are smarter, stronger and more skilled with their weapons and their minds than ever before. But the fight is not over, and many of you will return to the battlefield upon completion of this assignment... You all have answered the call and I hope you can take some time on September eleventh to remember those who also answered the call and are no longer with us.”

After Hughes' speech, members of JSF, 612th ABS Fire Emergency Services, and the JTF-Bravo Medical Element folded an American flag, laid it to rest on the ceremony's emergency services monument, and rendered a salute to the fallen heroes.

To close the ceremony, a Fire Emergency Services member performed the striking of the “four fives,” which consists of five bell strikes, repeated in four series. The custom is a fire service tradition which dates back to the 1800's, and is a form of rendering final honors to departed comrades.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyeonee Russell, 612th ABS firefighter, said he was in fourth grade at the time and didn't fully understand the severity of what was happening until he saw his uncle, who was an Army Ranger, packing his bags to leave. Russell also said he's participated in a 9/11 remembrance ceremony every year since he joined the military as his way to honor those who lost their lives on that fateful day 15 years ago.

“Everything that happened that day showed America's heart, and I actually have met a firefighter who was at ground zero that day,” Russell said. “I hugged him, shook his hand and told him I will always try my best to emulate him and all of the firefighters who were there.”