Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni -- U.S. Marines with Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting hosted a fire prevention and safety seminar with the Girl Scouts of Iwakuni Brownies Troop 92 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 22, 2016.
ARFF Marines taught the Brownies about the basics of fire safety, actions to take when stuck in a fire, evacuation plans and how to effectively stop, drop and roll.
Interacting with Sparky, the fire dog for MCAS Iwakuni; trying on the gear used for fighting fire and operating the fire hose made a memorable event that will stick with the Brownies.
“From my experience, it’s extremely important to know the basics of fire safety,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Rankin, a station captain with ARFF. “If something happens, you’ll have the knowledge to act in a calm manner and get out safely.”
As part of the seminar, the Marines demonstrated how quickly they can put their gear on.
“I learned that they can put their armor that protects them on very fast because they practice a lot,” said Ryley De Soto, a girl scout with the Iwakuni Brownies Troop 92. “I think it’s important that they can put everything on fast because they need to rush to get to fires so they don’t spread quickly and hurt someone.”
De Soto said her favorite part of the seminar was getting to spray the fire hose around during one of the demonstrations because of how fast the water moved.
As a final treat for the Brownies, the Marines allowed them to operate the speakers and lights on their trucks and took them on a tour of the ARFF building.
Rankin said interacting with the girls was a great experience. He appreciated the knowledge they already had and enjoyed seeing them ask questions while having a great time through interaction.
"My favorite part about today was watching how happy the girls were when they saw Sparky,” said Rankin. “Seeing how happy they were when interacting with him really made my day.”