MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- U.S. Marines with Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni conducted a training exercise aboard MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, April 30, 2021 in order to maintain firefighting readiness.
ARFF is essential to ensuring the safety of air station personnel, mitigating damage done to equipment and aircraft during emergencies, and the MCAS Iwakuni mission as a whole. “The role we play at MCAS Iwakuni is that we support the squadrons and all aircraft, as well as all airfield operations, to sustain our air combat element,” said Cpl. Kristopher Garner a firefighting specialist with ARFF. “We have emergency personnel ready 24/7 for when things go wrong.”
Training, as for all Marines, is an essential piece of sustained mission accomplishment for the Marines at ARFF. Their job consists of being at the ready at a moment's notice due to the unpredictable nature of the emergencies they respond to. “The hard part of the job is learning about the different procedures for each aircraft on base in case there was ever a mishap,” Garner said.
Every month ARFF Marines conduct training exercises to ensure they retain essential knowledge to effectively fight fires that may occur aboard the air station. According to Pfc. Chad Butler, a firefighter technician with ARFF, “the most challenging thing is all the knowledge that comes into this job. We need to know specific things about each aircraft in order for us to safely get in there and help the pilots in case they were ever stuck.“
Even with the extensive amount of training at ARFF, Marines still find the job enjoyable. “I really like training the new Marines,” Garner said. “One of my favorite things to do is pass down the knowledge that has been passed down to me from my NCOs before me.” Butler also said that his favorite part of training is extinguishing fires in the training pit.
When asked what advice he would give to Marines interested in this MOS field, Butler said, “I would tell Marines to make sure that this is something that you love, that you’re not afraid of fires, not afraid of working hard, and understand it’s something that you’ve got to really be dedicated to.”