Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan

U.S. Navy sailors with the Facility Response Team assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, exercised their oil spill response skills during a weeklong training evolution at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Aug. 1 – 5, 2016.

This annual certification teaches students how to execute sensitive area protection strategies outlined in their FRT plan, understand and apply regulations involving oil spills, and contain and recover oil on water.

“MCAS Iwakuni is a unique facility as we are only one of two Marine Corps bases that receive the majority of our fuel via tanker ship through our deep water port,” said Kristopher Kinaitis, the station’s Spill Prevention and Response Program manager. “When you look at a map of Iwakuni, one thing you will notice is we are surrounded by water . . . and it is imperative that if a spill were to contaminate the waters of Japan, we must be able to contain and recover that spill. This training provides oil spill and recovery training specifically tailored to our installation, and the equipment we use here allows our FRT team members to practice real world spill scenarios and build confidence handling on-water spill response equipment.”

After in-depth classroom instruction, service members tested their response capabilities at the station harbor and Penny Lake to ensure practical application could enhance their reaction to possible oil spills.

Chief Petty Officer Wayne Ditmore, the on-water FRT leader with logistics port operations, highlighted the importance of skills pertaining to boom handling, mooring systems, vacuum truck and drum skimmer operations, diversion boom operation techniques and shoreline protection, and spill containment drills in the harbor using the station’s small boats.

“We must be trained to respond immediately and effectively to contain and recover spilled oil or fuel to reduce the impact on the environment,” said Ditmore. “So whenever there is a spill on the station, we want to secure and contain the spill immediately before it gets out . . . which is why this training is important to our new and even to our experienced sailors.”

Designed for domestic and overseas locations, this training is site-specific and certifies each individual as a First Responder Operation Level as is required by 29 CFR 1910.120(q) (6) (ii) for anyone responding to an on-water oil spill.

Written reports on the overall response posture, sensitive area protection strategy, response plan effectiveness or deficiencies, equipment operational status or deficiencies, and other pertinent information are given after the training to help managers improve their response program.

“If there are changes to regulations or anything that could affect their mission, then I want to ensure they’re up to date, especially for the new troops coming in,” said Bill Tageson, a contractor with Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center. “This week definitely highlighted certain areas the team needs to work on, practice makes perfect . . . and this is what they needed to better their proficiency in oil spill response for the future.”