Aircraft Rescue Firefighters: Walking into Fire

Photo By Sgt. Nelson Duenas | Cpl. Jeremie Lewis poses for a photo Aug. 16 on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. Lewis, a Southhaven, Mississippi, native, is an aircraft rescue firefighter with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Marine Corps Installations Pacific. The aircraft rescue firefighters work hand-in-hand with local firefighters to protect the military community and residents of Okinawa from fires, drowning and other natural disasters. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Nelson Duenas)  

FUTENMA, OKINAWA, JAPAN

08.16.2017

Story by Lance Cpl. Nelson Duenas 

Marine Corps Installations Pacific

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, OKINAWA, JAPAN- At 176 degrees Fahrenheit skin burns in a matter of seconds. Once oxygen levels reach below 12 percent, loss of consciousness occurs. Marine aircraft rescue firefighters face these conditions every time they respond to a call.
"It's not a hard choice to make as long as you're going toward that fire knowing you're saving someone's life," said Cpl. Houston Dickens, an aircraft rescue firefighter with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Marine Corps Installations Pacific. "I don't see the hazardous, I just see myself doing something good."
While fighting the flames, ARFF Marines must be wary of sudden cardiac arrest and internal trauma, as those are the biggest killers of firefighters.
“We stay ready; we stay fit,” said Cpl. Jeremie Lewis, an aircraft rescue firefighter with the squadron. “I have to trust the Marines to the left and to my right so if something happens to me I know that I am in good hands and if something happens to them I will be there for them.”
Marines with ARFF are required to deal with hazardous materials; handle aircraft ablaze and loaded with ordnance, and triage victims in the critical first moments of medical emergencies.
"Time is your worst enemy," said Lewis, a Southaven, Mississippi, native. “Whenever you get the call you have to get there fast, set up fast, and rescue fast. When the time comes, I know I am ready and I know my Marines are ready so we all fight together. One team, one fight."
ARFF Marines not only have to be ready to protect the flight line but also the residents of Okinawa.
“We have mutual agreements with the local firefighters," said Lewis. “We save lives, protect property, and try to foster a good relation with our host nation."
In case of an emergency, the local and military firefighters pool their efforts to take care of the situation. Having to be ready for a wide variety of problems means the Marines have to constantly study and prepare.
"It's important to train because you don't want to go into a job like this, putting yourself in a dangerous situation, not knowing what your capable of," said Dickens, a Waynesville, North Carolina, native. "Training allows you to see what the Marines in your crew can do, so you know how to look out for each other."
ARFF Marines are constantly with each other, spending their 48-hour shifts inspecting their gear, studying aircraft specifications, or practicing medical emergency responses.
"It's a brotherhood,” said Lewis. “We all work together, we live together, eat together. It’s family."

• Date Taken: 08.16.2017
• Date Posted: 08.23.2017 19:00
• Story ID: 245663
• Location: FUTENMA, OKINAWA, JP
• Hometown: SOUTHAVEN, MS, US
• Hometown: WAYNESVILLE, NC, US