Press Release
☷Firefighters practice emergency response to aircraft crash
U.S. Army ( By Press Release office)
Apr 29,2022
| 24| 1
Firefighters from the U . S . Army Garrison Japan Fire Department evacuate Chief Warrant Officer 4 Joseph Mattos during a mock aircraft crash at Kastner Airfield , Camp Zama , Japan , April 28 , 2022 . Mattos , the aviation maintenance officer for U . S . Army Aviation Battalion Japan , was one of the pilots of a UH - 60 Black Hawk helicopter that simulated a crash landing . More than a dozen firefighters from the U . S . Army Garrison Japan Fire Department practiced an emergency response to a downed aircraft at Kastner Airfield , Camp Zama , Japan , April 28 , 2022 . A UH - 60 Black Hawk helicopter , operated by two pilots and a crew chief from the U . S . Army Aviation Battalion Japan , simulated a crash landing that left its tail separated and severe injuries to the aircrew . Firefighters from the U . S . Army Garrison Japan Fire Department respond to a mock aircraft crash at Kastner Airfield , Camp Zama , Japan , April 28 , 2022 . CAMP ZAMA , Japan - - U . S . Army Garrison Japan firefighters took part in their first downed aircraft scenario in more than a year Thursday , as part of an effort to ramp up emergency training at Kastner Airfield . A UH - 60 Black Hawk helicopter , operated by two pilots and a crew chief from the U . S . Army Aviation Battalion Japan , simulated a crash landing that left its tail separated and resulted in severe injuries to the aircrew . Within minutes , fire trucks responded to the mock crash scene and replicated putting out a fire , evacuating the aircrew and treating their injuries . More than a dozen firefighters participated in the training , which is typically held quarterly but was last conducted in December 2020 due to limitations as a result of the COVID - 19 pandemic . “They are professional firefighters and need to respond to incidents correctly , so they want to try to get a lot of training and be prepared for a helicopter incident , ” said Masahiro Watanabe , training officer for the garrison fire department . Chief Warrant Officer 4 Joseph Mattos , the aviation maintenance officer for the battalion , was one of the pilots in the scenario and noted the importance of such training . Firefighters were able to perform a variety of procedures , he said , such as responding to a damaged aircraft , shutting it down and safely removing the aircrew from it . “It’s still important to train on this stuff , because with the response time it definitely needs to be cut down , ” Mattos said . “They can work on that , so it’s second nature if it actually happens . ” A training officer with the U . S . Army Garrison Japan Fire Department observes an emergency response to a mock aircraft crash at Kastner Airfield , Camp Zama , Japan , April 28 , 2022 . Firefighters from the U . S . Army Garrison Japan Fire Department use a litter to carry Chief Warrant Officer 4 Joseph Mattos to safety during a mock aircraft crash at Kastner Airfield , Camp Zama , Japan , April 28 , 2022 . Mattos , the aviation maintenance officer for U . S . Army Aviation Battalion Japan , was one of the pilots of a UH - 60 Black Hawk helicopter that simulated a crash landing . Firefighters from the U . S . Army Garrison Japan Fire Department practice lifesaving techniques on Chief Warrant Officer 4 Joseph Mattos , one of the pilots during a mock aircraft crash at Kastner Airfield , Camp Zama , Japan , April 28 , 2022 . While a downed aircraft incident would most likely occur outside the installation and not in its jurisdiction , Tara Rojas , who organized the training event , agreed that emergency crews should still be prepared for the unexpected . “Here , we can kind of practice in a controlled environment and make sure that we’re taking care of our aircrew members , just in case an accident occurs , ” said Rojas , the battalion’s assistant manager for flight operations records . Rojas said the training also helped others practice an emergency notification process that started with the aircrew sending a mayday call to the Kastner Tower , which then simultaneously notified the fire station and base operations at the airfield , the fire department , medical personnel and military police . “We haven’t had [this type of training] in a really long time , so we’re trying to get back into the routine of performing these quarterly , ” she said . “The overall goal is to continue training and practicing [for] emergencies . ” Rojas said different scenarios could be implemented for each training event to keep emergency crews on their toes . “[We want to] make sure that people don’t get complacent and forget what their roles are supposed to be , ” she said , referring to a possible incident . “Hopefully it never happens , but we just want to be prepared if or when it does . ” Related links: U . S . Army Garrison Japan news USAG Japan official website
PLAY the NEWS
* May be useful for visually impaired persons .
Press release information:
Direct link to press release:
Click here .
