MCAS Iwakuni conducts emergency response training with JMSDF.

 

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JAPAN
05.03.2024
Photo by Lance Cpl. David Getz 
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni  

U.S. Marines assigned to Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces firefighters help simulated casualties during a mass casualty exercise at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, May 3, 2024. Marines with Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, firefighters with MCAS Iwakuni Fire and Emergency Services, and firefighters with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force performed a mass casualty exercise together to rehearse emergency response procedures and increase bilateral readiness. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. David Getz)

A U.S. Marine assigned to Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, speaks on the radio during a mass casualty exercise at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, May 3, 2024.

U.S. Marines assigned to Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, prepare a simulated casualty for transport during a mass casualty exercise at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, May 3, 2024. 

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Pentagon Reveals 2023 Fire and Emergency Services Awardees

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U.S. Department of Defense

03 MAY 2024 11:22 PM AEST

Today, the Department of Defense announced the recipients of the 2023 DOD Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) Awards for outstanding accomplishments of its fire departments, fire officers, and firefighters. DOD F&ES Working Group representatives from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Defense Logistics Agency selected nine winners from a total of 41 nominations.

"With a strong focus on reducing risks to military installations and training lands, DOD F&ES worked diligently [in 2023] to streamline planning and decision-making, minimizing disruptions that affect mission-critical resources," stated Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment. "DOD F&ES will continue to serve as the foundation of installation resilience while protecting people, lands, and the Department's mission from accidents and catastrophes."

Each year, three of DOD's most outstanding fire departments receive recognition for achieving the highest degree of excellence in mission support and fire protection management. In addition, DOD's best fire prevention program receives an award based on its depth and breadth, effectiveness, educational value, and thoroughness in direct support of the organization's mission.

One military firefighter and one civilian firefighter each receive an award for their superior job performance, innovation, and outstanding contributions to a DOD F&ES organization. One military fire officer and one civilian fire officer each receive an award for their superior job performance, outstanding contributions, and leadership for a DOD F&ES organization. In addition, one fire service instructor receives an award for superior job performance, resourcefulness, and outstanding contributions to a DOD F&ES organization.

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Highlights of each winner's 2023 achievements demonstrating their unwavering commitment as our first responders to protecting the lives of service members, their families, and the public and their dedication to safeguard the DOD mission are below:

Fire Department of the Year, Small Category: 90th Civil Engineer Squadron, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming – Led 375 fire inspections and corrected 457 deficiencies, earning a Superior Team Award. The department responded to a mutual aid, multi-residential fire, in which four firefighters halted the flames and saved 15 homes. The department also partnered with the Wyoming Department of Transportation and local hospitals to develop the installation's first car seat inspection program, certifying 10 personnel, inspecting 23 cars, and validating 51 car seats.

Fire Department of the Year, Medium Category: Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan – Responded to 1,025 emergencies, 14 fires, 420 medical emergencies, and 110 shipboard incidents. The department organized a 16-week fire academy, training six cadets with 720 service hours, 24 certifications, and a 100-percent pass rate. Additionally, this department published a multi-agency carrier Fire Response Plan that solidified an integrated fire response.

Fire Department of the Year, Large Category: 99th Civil Engineer Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada – Responded to 1,600 emergencies, including four structural, five vehicle, three aircraft, and four wildland fires. The department led a 7-day safety campaign with 11 county agencies, teaching 40,000 individuals and raising $7,000 for five different nonprofit organizations. The department also finalized a 3-year $284,000 Go-Green project in collaboration with five accredited agencies and established the first clean burning training facility in 82-years, exceeding Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards and saving $10,000 annually.

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Fire Prevention Program of the Year: Marine Corps Installations Pacific, Okinawa, Japan – Orchestrated over 1,238 fire inspections on 1,363 camp facilities encompassing 19,497,308 square feet. This effort led to a 93-percent overall annual inspection completion. The Fire Prevention Program organized 155 public education events, teaching fire safety to over 9,000 people. The program also completed 560 fire evacuation drills, with participation from more than 36,000 personnel.

Military Firefighter of the Year: Aviation Boatswain's Mate Aircraft Handler First Class Petty Officer Anna Perez, Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy – Mitigated 65 emergencies, protecting 10,000 personnel, and preserving 354 facilities with a total value of $1.8 billion. Additionally, Petty Officer Perez provided career development mentorship to all Navy Aviation Boatswain's Mates, resulting in one of her peer sailors winning the Firefighter of the Year Award in 2022. She also executed life-saving medical interventions for a patient experiencing an altered mental state, conducting vital assessments, and facilitating transport that resulted in the patient's full recovery.

Civilian Firefighter of the Year: Jeffry Frawley, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas – Served as the chief architect for the pre-fire plan program, dedicating over 200 hours updating 50 plans by identifying hazards, hydrants, and facility layout, which improved team safety and incident mitigation strategies. Firefighter Frawley also spent more than 90 hours mentoring in-house paramedic students on skills and tests and over 12 hours mentoring new members on testing Level-A hazardous materials and documentation.

Military Fire Officer of the Year: Senior Master Sergeant Michael E. Nalley, Jr., Joint Base San Antonio, Texas – Served as the senior enlisted leader for 190 military personnel and civilians, overseeing 13 Air Force Specialty Code workforces with 57 contracts in maintenance, repair, and construction worth $12.5 million in sustainment initiatives. Master Sergeant Nalley, Jr., also led incident command on a mutual aid call for a house fire. He established safety protocols and provided resupply operations and a fire attack to help extinguish flames and salvage the home of a 5-member family.

Civilian Fire Officer of the Year: Deputy Fire Chief Adam J. Montoya, U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany – Managed Army's largest fire department in Europe, including six fire stations, two dispatch centers, and 235 firefighters. Deputy Fire Chief Montoya protected 40,000 individuals and $13 billion in assets and had $0 in fire loss. Additionally, he authored the largest mutual aid agreement in Germany between the United States and host nation partners. He also forged a training alliance with the host nation responders and established reciprocal arrangements with the German Red Cross.

Fire Service Instructor of the Year: Interim Training Chief Tobias Lang, U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany – Managed the training program for 235 firefighters, overseeing 1,200 classes and 5,000 hours of training, resulting in zero fire loss, protecting $13 billion in assets, and maintaining mission readiness. Interim Training Chief Lang was the architect behind the department's rookie training program. He established a working group on active shooter situations and partnered with school emergency management/crisis intervention teams and military police responders to conduct training exercises to improve prevention, mitigation, and response for these situations.

Congratulations to all the winners for their remarkable achievements as they continue to support installation resilience.

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George Washington Conducts Cyclic Flight Operations

 

UNITED STATES
05.02.2024
Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class August Clawson 
USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73)  

A crash and salvage squad stands watch on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) in the Atlantic Ocean, May 2, 2024. George Washington is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2024 which seeks to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and strengthen maritime partnerships with countries throughout the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility through joint, multinational and interagency exchanges and cooperation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class August Clawson)

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M88A3 aims to eliminate single-vehicle recovery gap

 

The M88A3 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift Evacuation System) is currently undergoing reliability and maintainability testing at Yuma Proving Ground. This next-generation features several upgrades, including a modernized powertrain that improves horsepower and torque, the addition of a seventh road wheel to increase stability, and hydro-pneumatic suspension units that improve cross country mobility and recovery operations. (Loaned photos)

YUMA PROVING GROUND, AZ, UNITED STATES
04.30.2024
Story by James Gilbert 
U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground  

The M88A3 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift Evacuation System is currently undergoing reliability and maintainability (RAM) testing at Yuma Proving Ground, which is at the forefront of the U.S. Army's transformation efforts, particularly in the realm of mobility and combat vehicle testing.

This type of testing, according to Test Officer Yoselyn Vargas of the Combat Automotive System Division, is necessary because it plays a crucial role in ensuring the effectiveness and longevity of military vehicles.

"It is quite important to verify that the vehicle is able to function with the intended capabilities," Vargas said. "Since the upgrades are new, the testing also reassures that the capabilities are functional."

The M88A3 is designed to rescue disabled tanks from the battlefield, offering superior performance compared to its predecessor, the M882. Notably, it eliminates the need for two vehicles for raising and moving the newer, heavier Abram tanks, effectively bridging the single-vehicle recovery gap.

Currently, the operational M88A2 cannot perform single-vehicle recovery operations for the modern Abrams tank. Instead, two vehicles must collaborate to lift and move these tanks when they become disabled, which comes at the cost of efficiency, logistics, and increased complexity on a battlefield.

To overcome this limitation, BAE Systems introduced the M88A3 Hercules Heavy Recovery Vehicle. This advanced variant builds upon the proven M88A2, enhancing performance, survivability, and responsiveness.

The upgrades include a modernized powertrain that boosts horsepower and torque, a seventh road wheel for enhanced stability, and hydro-pneumatic suspension units that improve cross-country mobility and recovery operations.

"The key goal was to increase the old vehicle's towing capacity from 70 tons to 80 tons in the new version," Vargas said. "While modern vehicles have become heavier, this overall modification allows the new version of the vehicle to more effectively rescue disabled tanks from the battlefield.”

As of now, two M88A3 vehicles are being put through their paces, with both vehicles covering a combined distance of 6,000 miles, with each of them individually completing 3,000 miles. The hoisting and winching capabilities of both vehicles are also being evaluated.

"The two vehicles are going to alternate towing a simulated load weighing around 80 tons," Vargas said. "We'll start off by having one vehicle doing a portion of miles on its own while the other is towing. When we reach a designated point, they will switch off."

Testing began in mid-March, with two missions already completed, and is expected to last throughout the remainder of the year.

"It is a pretty standard number of miles for this type of testing," Vargas added. "The vehicles will be going slow and pulling a lot of weight. It is going to take a while."

Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is also actively taking part in testing the M88A3 and has a total of four vehicles, two of which are dedicated to performance testing and two to RAM testing.

According to Vargas, the primary objective of their testing is to assess longevity in their specific environment. While APG’s testing courses share similarities with YPG’s, the uniqueness factor lies in the sandy conditions they encounter here.

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Balancing Life as an ICU Nurse and Army Reserve Firefighter

U.S. Army Spc. Annalia Smith, a firefighter assigned to the 467th Engineer Detachment Firefighting, poses at her workplace in Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, Romania, March 22, 2024. As a female firefighter in a male-dominated field, Smith is no stranger to breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Alexcia Rupert)

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, ROMANIA
05.01.2024
Story by Pfc. Alexcia Rupert 
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment    

Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, Romania – "ICU/ER nurses get called thrill-seekers, so it is kind of funny because both of my jobs parallel that way," said Spc. Annalia Smith, a firefighter assigned to the 467th Engineer Detachment Firefighting. "They are both adrenaline-driven."

U.S. Army Spc. Annalia Smith, a firefighter assigned to the 467th Engineer Detachment Firefighting, attempts to make it through the weaver obstacle during the Best NCO and Soldier of the Rotation Competition at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, Romania, March 20, 2024. Successfully navigating an obstacle course builds confidence in the Soldier's physical abilities and decision-making skills, which are crucial for Soldiers who often operate in unpredictable and high-stakes environments. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Maxie)

After hearing from friends about the positive experiences the Army offers and the personal growth it fosters, she decided to join the Army Reserve in 2018. She went to the recruiting office when she finished her bachelor's program, where they offered her a job as a firefighter, which she immediately took.

Smith is at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base (MKAB) on a nine-month rotational deployment. Being part of the fire suppression unit for both MKAB and Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria is a big responsibility and allows Smith to interact with service members from various nations. "It has been so fun to learn about different cultures and honestly we all at least have one thing in common; being in the military," she said.

As a female firefighter in a male-dominated field, Smith is no stranger to breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes. Whether participating in competitions or handling emergencies, she repeatedly proves that gender is no obstacle to excellence.

"Firefighting does not matter whether I am a female or not," she said. "If my partner goes down, then I will get them out. We are all trained the same."

In 2020, she took a leap and pursued nursing school. Luckily, she had friends who gave her insight into the job.

"I love how both jobs complement each other well,” she said. “I love the medical side, and a good number of calls for the fire department are medical."

U.S. Army Spc. Annalia Smith, a firefighter assigned to the 467th Engineer Detachment Firefighting, is getting tested on her skills in responding to injuries in the field during the Best NCO/Soldier of the Rotation Competition at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, Romania, March 19, 2024. Medical lanes provided a realistic opportunity for participants to demonstrate their proficiency in a wide range of procedures, from basic first aid to more complex surgical interventions, under the pressures and constraints typical of combat situations. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Maxie)

Transitioning seamlessly between her roles as an ICU nurse and a firefighter, Smith thrives on the challenges and intricacies of each profession.

"I like how both jobs require me to use my hands in different ways," she explains. "As an ICU nurse, I perform a lot of fine motor movements, whereas as a firefighter, I am engaged in physically demanding tasks like throwing ladders and cutting holes in buildings."

Smith said she loves being an ICU nurse because it requires balancing big-picture thinking and attention to detail. In the ICU, she manages critical patients and administers life-sustaining medications while constantly assessing for subtle changes. She appreciates the body's ability to adapt and the puzzle-like nature of their work. Similarly, firefighting demands strategic planning to tackle fires effectively and minimize damage. Both roles involve quick decision-making and the ability to adapt under pressure.

"I enjoy the reserve because when I want a break from being a nurse, I can sometimes kind of dip in and out of it," she admits. "Although it can be hard juggling both, there are times I feel like one gets more attention and the other is forgotten."

U.S. Army Spc. Annalia Smith, a firefighter assigned to the 467th Engineer Detachment Firefighting, participates in the obstacle course during the Best NCO/Soldier of the Rotation Competition at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, Romania, March 20, 2024. Smith is in the Army Reserve and serves as an ICU nurse in her civilian job. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Maxie)

One of her favorite memories of being in the Army Reserve was after a long day of being in the field, her unit returned to their battalion's rest area, only to be caught in a sudden downpour. They decided to sleep in the back of a Humvee with friends, leading to a night of trading stories and catching up.

Despite being smaller than her colleagues as a firefighter, she says, "I love it because I always get the job done; it just may not be pretty."

Through it all, Smith's dedication to getting the job done, no matter the circumstances, is a testament to her character and unwavering commitment to excellence. Smith embodies the spirit of dedication, resilience, and adaptability as she navigates the dual roles of an ICU nurse and Army Reserve firefighter.

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