Marines rescue Japanese children during Tokyo tragedy

Four U.S. Marines and two Sailors instinctively responded alongside local residents when a vehicle with five passengers fell from the fifth story of a parking garage in Yokosuka, a city in the Greater Tokyo area, Dec. 31, 2016. Once the Marines arrived on scene, the group flipped the car in order to remove the passengers prior to Japanese Emergency Medical Services arriving. The Marines are assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment and forward-deployed to 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Okinawa, Japan. The Sailors are assigned to Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka. Pictured left to right: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Garrett Osborne, Marine Corps Lance Cpls. James Flores and Manaure Arellano, Marine Corps Pfc. Jacob Boerner, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Raheem Gilliam and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Derhon Finch. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Richard Gourley)

YOKOSUKA, OKINAWA, JAPAN
01.07.2017
Courtesy Story
III Marine Expeditionary Force

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan – Four Marines were traveling toward a Yokosuka train station on their way to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Tokyo, when they heard a call for help. Without hesitation, they sprinted toward the scene, weaving between pedestrians on a crowded street.

“We were running as fast as we could,” said Lance Cpl. James H. Flores, from West, Texas. “We just started to go toward the crowd. At that point, we just headed straight over there and saw the accident, and immediately we did what we could to help.”

An SUV with a local family of five fell from the fifth story of a parking garage and landed upside down, compressing the vehicle. The Marines quickly noticed eight local residents and two U.S. Sailors working to recover the family inside.

“It was just an instinct to help pull them out of the car,” said Flores.

Initially, the responders strained to open the doors to pull the family out, but struggled due to the vehicle’s capsized position. Then Flores thought of flipping the vehicle upright, and the Yokosukan responders began synchronizing the group’s efforts by establishing a cadence. Lance Cpl. Raheem F. Gilliam, who had recently learned to count in Japanese, started translating. The Marines and Sailors were then able to work together with the locals to flip the car in synch.

“That’s when we started getting everyone out,” said Lance Cpl. Manaure V. Arellano, from Pearsall, Texas. “Our thought was to just get people out as fast as possible. There was no pausing.”

The Marines took their experiences from the Marine Corps and applied it to the situation at hand.

“We’re trained as Marines, especially being infantry, to have an immediate reaction,” said Gilliam, from Moore, Oklahoma. “Every day the mission comes first, and the mission was to get them out.”

After the locals were pulled from the car, the Marines applied fundamental skills taught during the Combat Lifesaver Course: stop the bleeding, start the breathing, treat for shock.

Once Japanese medical personnel arrived and took control of the rescue effort, the Marines went to the emergency room to ensure they did not sustain any injuries during the recovery. On the way to the ER, they reflected on what they had witnessed and thought of their loved ones at home.

“I didn’t really tell my family about it,” said Gilliam. “I just called home and told my family that I love them, because you never know when you’re going to lose them.”

Tragically, three of the victims lost their lives that day. However, two young boys in the vehicle survived after being hospitalized.

The Marines were awarded Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals at the Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji, Japan, Jan. 9. Additionally, Yuto Yoshida, the mayor of the City Yokosuka, expressed interest in personally thanking the Marines and Sailors involved in the response.

Despite their heroic actions, the Marines remain humble.

“I don’t think it makes me a hero,” said Gilliam. “It’s just what any other Marine would have done.”

The four Marines, riflemen with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, are forward-deployed to 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Okinawa, Japan.

HIKERS MISSING FOR TWO DAYS: RESCUED BY NCHART - NC GUARD HELICOPTER CREWS

NC Army National Guard LUH-72 Lakota crew, based in Morrisville, NC in front of their aircraft. This crew, as a part of North Carolina Helicopter and Aquatic Rescue Team, at night, in severe winter weather relocated the two lost hikers using thermal identification equipment, on Sat. Jan.7, 2017 in the Shining Rock wilderness area of western NC. (L-R Chief Warrant Officer Three Joshua McMinn - Pilot in Command, Capt. Christopher Arndt – Pilot, John Vislavsy – Maintainer, Staff Sgt. Michael Mercier – Maintainer, Sgt. Joshua Johner – Maintainer and Staff Sgt. Charles Woodruff – Crew (not pictured). Photo by Staff Sgt. Brendan Stephens, NCNG Public Affairs/Released.

RALEIGH, NC, UNITED STATES
01.11.2017
Story by Lt. Col. Matthew Devivo
North Carolina National Guard

Two hikers missing since Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, in the Shinning Rock Wilderness Area were rescued Saturday evening by the North Carolina Helicopter and Aquatic Rescue Team (NCHART).

The hikers, who were uninjured, used a cell phone to contact authorities on Friday saying they were off the trail and needed to be rescued. The cell phone they used, however, had poor location services, sometimes called a “throwaway phone” making it difficult for authorities to locate them.

Over 100 ground based rescuers from two dozen local, state, and federal agencies were searching for the lost hikers day and night, and with serve winter weather fast approaching on Friday night, the chance of finding them alive became less a reality.

“With below-zero temperatures expected, time was running out,” said NC Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry.

Ground search teams did all they could to locate the stranded hikers, but rugged, heavily forested terrain and waist deep snow, made it extremely challenging. By Saturday afternoon, the weather was getting worse and extremely low temperatures were setting in.

At 2:00 p.m., Saturday, Sprayberry ordered the NCHART into action to find and rescue the hikers.

NCHART is a highly specialized team consisting of North Carolina Emergency Management, NC Guard, and NC State Highway Patrol assets matched with highly-trained local emergency services personnel that form a mission-ready package for helicopter-based rescues.

The initial NCHART team comprised of a State Highway Patrol helicopter, a NC Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and three Charlotte fire-fighter rescue technicians (on the Blackhawk). The SHP helicopter would locate the hikers using thermal identification equipment and the Guard Blackhawk would fly in and, using a hoist system, lower the rescue techs and extract the hikers.

“Whenever we get the call to execute a NCHART mission, the heart rate goes up a bit,” said Maj. Jack Potvin, a NC Army National Guard UH-60 pilot, and 10-year NCHART veteran. “We train for this mission all the time. In fact just the week prior, we were training extraction techniques.”
But this extraction was not an ordinary one, Potvin stated. “The extreme weather (cold and winds), heavily forested terrain, altitude and the pitch black night made this a mission like no other we had in a long time.”

Potvin’s Blackhawk helicopter would not be the only Guard aircraft involved in this rescue.

It was a NC Guard drill weekend (7-8 Jan.) and NC Army Guard UH-72 Lakota helicopter crews, based in Morrisville at the RDU airport, were scheduled for flight training. In an effort to always be ready and prepared to support NCNG’s state partners, one of the Lakota crew planned a flight to Asheville airport and back as a part of drill training.

“We knew about the ongoing search and rescue mission near Asheville,” said Capt. Christopher Arndt, a NC Army National Guard UH-72 Lakota pilot, and 5-year NCHART veteran. “With our capabilities and experience in NCHART missions, our commander authorized the training flight to fly to Asheville and back, with an intent to be available just in case NC Emergency Management needs us.”

By the time Arndt’s Lakota made it to Asheville and refueled, the NC State Highway Patrol helicopter that located the stranded hikers just before sunset, was forced to return to the airport and refuel. The NC Guard Lakota took over the search.

“We are fortunate that all these resources were trained and available, and worked together to execute this extremely complicated rescue,” said Sprayberry. “The key to the success of this response was teamwork from all the responders cooperating for the best possible outcome.’’

The outcome may have been a lot different if it were not for the forward thinking of NC Guard Lakota aviators and their commander in Morrisville.

“It was extremely cold out and pitch black,” said Arndt. “We all were very anxious to find these guys and get them out of danger. We searched the area the Highway Patrol crew gave us for about 20 minutes, then at 7,500 feet and about two miles away using our thermal identification equipment we spotted a flickering light, like a strobe. When we zoomed in on to that light, we discovered that it wasn’t a strobe. It was a faint Bic lighter flame from the lost hikers”

The hikers desperately trying to signal the helicopters were relocated and the NC Guard UH-60 Blackhawk and rescue technicians swooped in and hoisted the hikers out of the forest to waiting ambulances at the Asheville airport.

From start to finish the rescue took about one hour from when the NC Guard Lakota got the call to take over the search.

“It’s an amazing, exhilarating feeling when the mission is complete and lives are saved,” said Potvin. “NCHART is a proven lifesaving program, and in my opinion, illustrates clearly the team efforts and dedication of our state emergency response partners from emergency management, the Highway Patrol, the Guard and local first responders.”

NCHART, the first of its kind in the nation, is in its 14th year serving North Carolina residents. The program is credited with over 80 successful rescues.

Moody’s 23d Civil Engineer Squadron extinguishes night fire.

Firefighters from the 23d Civil Engineer Squadron begin to congregate after completing nighttime, live-fire training, Jan. 10, 2017, at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. It’s required by the Federal Aviation Administration that every airfield have a firefighting team on standby in case of an aircraft incident. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider)

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, GA, UNITED STATES
01.12.2017
Story by Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider
23rd Wing

Team Moody’s 23d Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters performed nighttime, live-fire training, Jan. 10, here.

This training prepares Airmen for the possibility of nighttime aircraft fire operations.
“This is 80 percent of what we do, the other 20 percent is structural,” said Charlie Johnson, 23d CES assistant fire chief of training. “Most likely, if anything is ever to happen, it will be with an aircraft. So it’s very important that we get this live-fire training.”
It isn’t only important that the 23d CES Airmen experience this, but it’s actually required by the Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration that all airport firefighters conduct this training periodically.

“Situations like this happen,” said U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jacob Molden, 23d CES firefighter who’s conducting live fire training for the fifth time. “In the real world, we’re not going to be able to really predict everything. So it’s good in training to throw out some random events and not tell us exactly how it’s going to go to let us figure it out on our own because that’s how we learn.”
Upon arriving, to the scene, firefighters used their vehicles to assess the situation and began battling the flames.

“Usually we modulate,” said Molden. “So we’ll [drive] around the aircraft and spray water, and then we’ll position ourselves and pull hand-lines to fight the fire.”
After pulling the hand-lines, Airmen began to group up and combat the fire.
“My favorite part is actually fighting the fire,” said Molden. “It’s hot and adrenaline’s going with all the lights, people yelling and it’s chaotic, but at the same time, we’ve got it all figured out because our training is very good. We know exactly what to do. We can fall back on our training to get the job done.”

While Molden said he enjoys this training, he has no doubt in the seriousness of it and hopes the newer guys take something away.

“When a live fire burns you’re not exactly sure how you’re going to act,” said Molden. “You get to know yourself a little bit better and what works for you and also what you can work on to get better.”

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How to survive winter weather

Tobey Beagle, a captain with the Illinois Department of Military Affairs at the 182nd Civil Engineer Squadron fire department, gives an interview about winter weather safety in Peoria, Ill., Jan. 7, 2017. He said wearing layers is important if you do have to be outside, as well as covering skin by wearing gloves, hats and earmuffs. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Lealan Buehrer)

PEORIA, IL, UNITED STATES
01.09.2017
Story by Tech. Sgt. Lealan Buehrer
182nd Airlift Wing

Midwest weather can be notorious for giving pleasant temperatures one day and an arctic blast the next. However, there are precautions Airmen can take in order to ensure their safety during the frigid winter months.

Tobey Beagle, a captain with the Illinois Department of Military Affairs at the 182nd Civil Engineer Squadron fire department, said that the most common types of injuries the fire department responds to in the winter are trips, slips and falls on ice.

“Especially early on in the winter, people aren’t used to walking on [ice],” he said. “It takes a little while to re-acclimate to it.”

In order to help avoid injuries from slipping on ice, Tech. Sgt. Cindy Hawkins, a safety specialist with the 182nd Airlift Wing, recommends preventives measures ahead of time, such as wearing traction cleats over shoes and applying ice-melt salt to sidewalks.

However, there are steps that Beagle recommends until first responders arrive if you do witness someone fall on ice.

“The best thing you can do is assess them, try to determine the extent if they’ve injured themselves. Also keep in mind if they’ve hit their head or not,” he said.

Beagle said it is important to get the injured person out of the cold environment if possible. If you cannot, cover the person and keep him or her warm until first responders arrive.

In order to prevent exposure injuries such as frostbite and hypothermia, Beagle recommends minimizing the time a person works outside. He said wearing layers is important if you do have to be outside, as well as covering skin by wearing gloves, hats and earmuffs.

“Work-rest cycles are important if you do have to be outside. Again, the temperature really dictates how long you can be out versus coming back in, and how long you should be inside to re-warm,” he said.

First Lt. Whitney McInnis, a clinical nurse with the 182nd Medical Group, said that hypothermia occurs when the body temperature is so cold that the body’s organs start shutting down and exposure to cold weather without enough clothing layers can cause it.

“During hypothermia, your blood will try to make your internal organs stay functioning, so all the blood just goes to your central system and that’s why you get those [frostbite] injuries on the toes and fingers first and foremost, also the nose and ear tips,” she said.

She said the first thing to counteract hypothermia is to remove yourself from the cold. Injured persons can also drink warm liquids and put on warm layers, but should never try to treat frostbite themselves.

“You don’t want to try to rub that affected extremity because you can actually make it fall off,” McInnis said. “And don’t run them under warm water. You want to just try to get near a source of heat, blankets, but no warm water because that can affect it negatively also.”

To prevent yourself from getting to that point, McInnis said having awareness could help.

“Thankfully, when you’re here on base they do give guidance on weather conditions that you should be taking your work-rest cycles, but any time that you’re feeling any kind of tingling in your extremities, especially fingers and toes, you know that you’ve been exposed too long and you need to get into warmer weather,” she said.

There may be times where a person cannot get into warmer weather, such as when stranded while driving. Hawkins recommends keeping supplies in your vehicle, including a blanket, flashlight, cell phone charger and snacks.

“Make sure you always drive with your gas at least half-full, check your tires before you leave at any departure. Make sure when you’re leaving that your car has all the maintenance that need be, if that’s checking the wipers, if it’s just making sure you got the fluids in there, as well as making sure that you have extra money and an extra charger in the car,” she said.

Whether it is injuries, exposure or isolation, Airmen can prevent the cold consequences of winter by simple preparation. Plan to wear extra layers of clothing to keep warm. Plan for items needed to navigate icy terrain. Plan for the “what ifs” in the event of vehicle difficulties. By doing so, Airmen can help keep themselves safe from winter’s hazards and available to be always on mission.

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407th ECES upgrades fire retardant foam

Staff Sgt. Clinton Manus, 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, speak with his leadership while transferring fire retardant from a foam trailer at the 407th Air Expeditionary Group, Jan. 6, 2016. The unit switched all the fire retardant foam in their inventory as part of an Air Force-wide initiative to use more environmentally friendly foam. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson)(Released)

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)
01.07.2017
Story by Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson
407th Air Expeditionary Group

Firefighters from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron upgraded their inventory of aqueous film forming foam to a more environmentally friendly version of the fire retardant, Jan. 6 at the 407th Air Expeditionary Group.

The switch was part of an Air Force-wide initiative, according to Tech. Sgt. Nathan Darke, 407th ECES B-shift battalion fire chief.

This swap has brought the 407th ECES fire stations into compliance with the new Air Force standards, which are intended to keep base assets and people safe while being better stewards of the environment.

“The old foam was near the end of its life-cycle, so it was a good time to replace it,” he said.

The unit replaced more than 2,100 gallons of the foam concentrate in six crash vehicles and a foam trailer, which are used to extinguish aircraft and fuels fires.

Before adding the new mixture, the vehicles and trailer were triple-washed to remove any residual waste. The old foam concentrate and residual waste were then put into containers and shipped to a contractor to be properly disposed of, said Darke.

Aqueous film forming foam concentrate is mixed with water and air to form the foam mixture needed to fight the volatile fires created by jet fuel, according to Tech. Sgt. Jason Demoss, 407th ECES assistant chief of firefighting operations.

This swap has brought the 407th ECES fire stations into compliance with the new Air Force standards, which are intended to keep base assets and people safe while being better stewards of the environment.

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