MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- A cold breeze whipped through the air as Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Marines responded to a mass casualty call here March 14.
Two vans arrived on scene with a simulated fire spreading across 15 meters of the flightline.
The whole situation was a training exercise.
Orange cones represented the notional fire and more than a dozen volunteers simulated injuries, some wearing simulated rubber wounds.
The mass-casualty exercise helped maintain the ARF Marines’ skills and challenged them with putting out a simulated fire complicated by searchand- rescue training to find injured volunteers who wandered from the crash site and laid in the nearby grass.
“We perform this kind of training because its mandatory for our Marines to keep a high skill level with firefighting and finding and treating injured servicemembers and station residents,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher D. Garbutt, ARFF assistant training chief.
The fire and casualties were curveballs thrown into the exercise to keep the Marines on their toes when responding to an accident.
“We were aware of the crash when we received the call,” said Cpl. Samantha Jones, a Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron ARFF specialist. “When we arrived on scene, we extinguished the fire so we could get our people in and transport the wounded to safety.”
After extinguishing the simulated fire, the surrounding area was drenched to prevent unexpected fire resurgence, the search and rescue portion of the training began.
The exercise was a different way for ARFF Marines to train because of the number of injured and searchand- rescue efforts needed to complete the event.
“During the search-and-rescue, we had to calm down a few of the injured, apply braces and transport others via stretchers,” said Jones. “We usually just fight controlled burns at the burn pit, so being able to help the volunteers was a great learning experience.”
After the injured were found, transported and treated, the ARF Marines packed up their gear and returned to the fire station until the next time needed.
“With Friendship Day coming up, we are going to have a large amount of people here and that could mean a lot of heat casualties who need our help,” said Garbutt.
May’s Friendship Day brings the local community aboard the station where U.S. and Japanese aircraft perform flight demonstrations and flybys. This once-a-year opportunity allows the local community to see the station’s mission of air support and protection in one day of fast flying and choreographed demonstrations.
“We might not have a blazing fire to deal with, but the possibility of dehydration and heat exhaustion is very real,” said Garbutt. “Preparing for those scenarios is essential to helping station residents and visitors.”
“My Marines completed their mission and handled the different situation well,” said Staff Sgt. Jason N. Nickell, ARFF section two leader. “We train every week to keep our skills up to par. Today, we showed how effective all that training has been.”