CFAC Fire Department Answers Call to Help Community

Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Wesley Breedlove | 170412-N-SR567-023 CHINHAE, Republic of Korea (April 12, 2017) Retired Chief Damage Controlman Raymond Griffith, center, Commander, Fleet Activity Chinhae's fire chief and his firefighters pose for a photo before their morning drill. CFAC's fire department was recognized in March, 2017, for their outstanding service, after they helped stop a large industrial fire and on April 5, 2017, assisted in saving 16 people from an apartment fire.(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Wesley J. Breedlove)  

CHINHAE, SOUTH KOREA

04.12.2017

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Wesley Breedlove 

Commander, Naval Forces Korea

CHINHAE, Republic of Korea (April 13, 2017) -- U.S. Navy firefighters from Commander, Fleet Activities Chinhae (CFAC), responded to a parking garage fire April 5 and helped rescue 16 people.

The CFAC Fire Department responded to a request for assistance, or an "all-call," from local authorities and dispatched five firefighters and emergency vehicles to the scene, along with the CFAC Rapid Intervention Team.

"I could not be more proud of our firefighters and their commitment to the local community," said Cmdr. Terry P. McNamara, Commander of Fleet Activities Chinhae. "When the call for help comes in, they, without fail, suit up and stand by their ROK firefighting partners to keep the community safe. Our base firefighters are quiet professionals, but they're the finest team anyone could hope to have."

A total of 19 fire engines and nearly 80 firefighters and emergency personnel responded to the fire.

According to local authorities, flame and smoke were seen near a vehicle and spread to several other vehicles before containment. As the fire department attempted to clear the building, they discovered 16 people inside.

"We got the call from the Changwon fire department requesting mutual aid for an apartment fire," said Raymond Griffith, CFAC's fire chief, a retired Chief Damage Controlman. "We arrived on the scene, established command with the Changwon fire chief and joined our local firefighting teams to help the community."

The mutual-aid agreement allows CFAC's Fire Department to cross jurisdictional boundaries and assist the surrounding districts of Chinhae, Changwon, and Masan when responding to emergencies.

Griffith said the weather and traffic helped the teams arrive on the scene as soon as possible.

"It was raining so traffic was not as heavy as normal," said Griffith. "This allowed all of the responding units to get to the scene very quickly and there was also a fire hydrant on the street corner by the building, so I think that was also a major factor."

Approximately 75 percent of emergency calls received by CFAC's Fire Department each year are for assistance in the local Chinhae community. One such call earlier this year was for help fighting an industrial fire with several surrounding fire departments.

"That was probably one of the hottest fires I've been in for a while. It was a plastic tool factory in an industrial area," said Griffith. "The fire spread to two other buildings but we were able to help by providing larger capacity hoses and extra firemen to the fight."

CFAC was selected as the Department of the Navy's 2009 and 2012 Fire Department of the Year for small-sized installations in its annual fire and emergency services awards program.

Commander, Fleet Activities Chinhae is the only U.S. Navy base in the Republic of Korea and is located on the southern coast of the peninsula. Its mission is to provide on-peninsula service, expertise and material support to the fleet, Sailors, Department of Navy civilians and the U.S.-ROK alliance through joint armistice, training exercises, and contingency operations.

For more information on CFAC and CFAC fire department, visit
https://www.facebook.com/navy.chinhae/ and www.facebook.com/cfacfire/.

• Date Taken: 04.12.2017
• Date Posted: 04.13.2017 22:05
• Story ID: 230333
• Location: CHINHAE, KR