KADENA AIR BASE, Japan –
Emergency response personnel from Kadena Air Base, Torii Station and various
departments of the Okinawa Prefecture conducted an annual bilateral aircraft
mishap exercise Feb. 17 at Torii Station, Japan.
The exercise was held to
create a realistic emergency-response scenario in order to improve cooperation
with local government and emergency response agencies.
"I believe we
cooperated well and worked well this time, especially during the initial
response," said Hidehiko Fujino, Crisis Management in Okinawa director and
Okinawa Prefectural Police assistant commissioner. "It went very
smoothly."
Japanese emergency services were joined by more than a dozen
agencies from Kadena Air Base in reaction to a staged aircraft mishap, which
entailed simulated injuries, an aircraft fuselage engulfed in flames and damaged
vehicles with simulated victims trapped inside.
U.S. services contributed
specialized skillsets to include police officers, firefighters, crash and rescue
and emergency management personnel who worked with members from the Okinawa
Prefectural Police, Crisis Management Okinawa, Japanese Coast Guard, Nirai Fire
Department and more to test their ability to save lives in a crisis
situation.
The exercise gave responders the opportunity to bolster their
bilateral relationship and interoperability and better understand how different
agencies operate and talk through emergency situations.
"We have limited
assets on the island, so any type of training that we can do with the local
community helps us to prepare to work together in the event that something bad
actually happens," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Benjamin Scott Powell, 18th
Civil Engineering Flight assistant chief of training.
In order to deliver
a commitment to maintain safety, U.S. forces must be prepared to face any
emergency that can occur on Okinawa. Flight training is conducted in areas that
are bilaterally approved and are continually evaluated and adjusted to ensure a
minimum impact is made on local communities.
"I expect us to conduct this
bilateral training on a continuing basis," Fujino said. "It will help both Japan
and U.S. officials to understand each other; moreover, it will enhance safety
for people of Okinawa, which is very important."