Ready, Exercise: MCB Camp Pendleton Conducts CPX II, a Hazardous Materials Training Exercise

Story by Cpl. Jacqueline Akamelu January 29, 2026 at 04:59PM Semper Durus is an annual interagency training exercise designed to strengthen regional defense, test anti-terrorism measures, and ensure personnel safety against evolving threats across Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Before, during, and after Semper Durus, agencies aboard the installation maintain readiness and response effectiveness through targeted training exercises focused on specific areas. With the focus on response effectiveness, partnering agencies across the installation participated in Command Post Exercise II at MCB Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 28, 2026. The intent of CPX II was to combine the efforts of various agencies across Marine Corps Installations West to exercise staff actions in response to a simulated contamination of the installation’s food supply. This included verifying the safety and security of food sources and their delivery, identifying the impact of food delivery interruptions, determining required response actions to re-establish safe food distribution, and exercising the Camp Pendleton Fire Department’s hazardous materials response procedures.

A Legacy of Service: Firefighter's son answers the call to a different uniform

Story by Eric Kowal January 29, 2026 at 04:15PM PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. – In many ways, the worlds of a firefighter and a Soldier are intertwined. Both require a unique blend of courage, discipline, and a profound sense of duty. They are professions where the well-being of others is paramount, where teamwork is not just a concept, but a lifeline.

From Culinary to Commissioned: Cadet Deandre Wright’s Army Journey

Story by Staff Sgt. Lindiwe Henry January 27, 2026 at 12:31PM It is 8:30 in the morning, and the scent of grilled bacon, green peppers, onions, omelets, and warm buttered biscuits wafts through the Oldtown Fire Station. Soldiers, firefighters, and paramedics sit around the large table, discussing their current favorite television shows, swapping mission stories, and whatever else floats into conversation. Specialty omelets and breakfast sandwiches sizzle on the black top grill, as Soldiers eagerly await their personally prepared breakfasts, courtesy of Cadet Deandre Wright, who brought his culinary specialist training to Oldtown, also known as the Thomas J. Burke Fire Station.

445th SFS Airman to be honored as firefighter of year

Story by Capt. Rachel Ingram January 22, 2026 at 03:13PM Tech. Sgt. Jake McCorkle, 445th Security Forces Squadron assistant noncommissioned officer in charge of Security Forces training, is scheduled to be recognized by Columbus Division of Fire as a firefighter of the year Feb. 13, during the agency’s 36th annual awards banquet.

140th Wing firefighter deploys K9 rescue team for Texas flood

Story by Tech. Sgt. Chance Johnson January 14, 2026 at 10:56AM While most of the U.S. was celebrating Independence Day with friends and family, the Guadalupe River was experiencing a devastating flash flood in Kerr County, Texas, July 4, 2025. The river rose over 20 feet in just a few hours, claiming the lives of more than 100 people and destroying countless homes in the process.