Violinist Finds Rewarding Career as a Federal Firefighter and Paramedic

Story by Kyler Hood September 04, 2025 at 03:20PM When she’s not saving lives, paramedic firefighter Arlene Koh enriches lives with her musical talent. The professional violinist regularly performs at Navy and Marine Corps events as well as with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra and Diamond Head Theatre Orchestra. She played most recently at the Navy Region Hawaii change of command, performing a captivating rendition of Hawaii Pono’i, Hawai’i’s national anthem, which is rarely performed on the violin. While her two passions might appear to be drastically different, Koh said playing the violin in front of a live audience is like firefighting – both require quick-thinking and adaptability. “It's not a rehearsal when I'm with the patient. It's just a performance. You have an audience, whether you want one or not,” she explained.

Rota Strengthens Warfighter Readiness Through Joint Mass Casualty Exercise

Story by Lt.Cmdr. Alicia Sacks September 04, 2025 at 11:05AM ROTA, Spain (August 21, 2025)- A successful large-scale mass casualty exercise was carried out by U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Rota, in collaboration with Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota and Federal Firefighters, August 21, 2025, aboard the naval station.

U.S. and Japanese Firefighters Strengthen Long-Standing Partnership in Annual Drill

Story by Senior Airman Koby Mitchell September 03, 2025 at 10:17PM 35th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES) firefighters trained with the Hachinohe City Fire Department and Naval Air Facility counterparts during an annual fire response drill at the Hachinohe petroleum, oils and lubricants (POL) facility at Hachinohe City, Japan Sept. 3, 2025.

U.S. and Japanese Firefighters Strengthen Long-Standing Partnership in Annual Drill

Story by Senior Airman Koby Mitchell September 03, 2025 at 10:17PM 35th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES) firefighters trained with the Hachinohe City Fire Department and Naval Air Facility counterparts during an annual fire response drill at the Hachinohe petroleum, oils and lubricants (POL) facility at Hachinohe City, Japan Sept. 3, 2025.

Caldor Fire: Defending Lake Tahoe Basin

Story by Andrew Avitt September 03, 2025 at 12:25PM On Aug. 30, when the Caldor Fire arrived in South Lake Tahoe, one subtle yet critically important factor helped firefighters defend homes and businesses – fuel treatments a decade in the making. Throughout the preceding decade, the Forest Service along with state and local land managers had been conducting forest management projects in the surrounding forests and, in doing so, had prepared for the oncoming Caldor Fire.