Photo By Seaman Brianna Bonilla | Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, Japan - Takashi Watatsu, a district chief from...... read more read more
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Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan (May 23, 2025) - Commander, Navy Region Japan (CNRJ) Fire and Emergency Services firefighters, stationed at Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, assisted Ayase city firefighters in dispelling a fire off base near the fence line of the southwest corner of the on base golf course.
The CNRJ firefighters were finishing their evening physical training session when they were notified of a large plume of smoke coming from behind building 50. The firefighters immediately rushed south towards the scene, spotting the smoke and following it to the exact location.
Similar to a month prior, when a fire erupted late at night near the north side of the base flight line, the CNRJ firefighters knew what they needed to do, urgently setting up their equipment as close as they possibly could given the circumstances of being separated by the fence that boarders the base. As the firefighters connected their hoses to the fire hydrants, they committed to their spot near the fence line. Ayase city firefighters arrived at the scene 1-2 minutes after their arrival. The team relied upon communication with the Ayase city personnel across the fence.
“It’s not like you can just disconnect and ride off easily,” said Michael Dionne, a CNRJ deputy fire chief with 20 years of firefighting experience, “Once those hoses are pulled, it’s a lot flowing back on and everything else.”
When Ayase City firefighters arrived, it became apparent to the NAF Atsugi personnel that the city fire department required assistance with their water reserves. The scene was approximately 2,850 feet away from Ayase City’s nearest fire hydrant, restricting the Ayase City firefighters' water access. NAF Atsugi personnel provided water pumper relay support over, providing the critical water pressure needed by one of the Ayase City engines at the scene to fight the flames.
Traffic at Maruko Nakayama Chigasaki Road quickly grew out of hand as the relay pump operations affected the evening rush hour, requiring the Japanese police department to temporarily close the road for two hours as the Ayase City firefighters’ relay hose ran up the major road. The road was opened again when Ayase City firefighters determined they could solely use the NAF Atsugi base water supply from over the fence line.
The flames grew significantly as nighttime came. Knowing a simple hand-held hose would not be useful against the flames, Takashi Watatsu, the incident commander with 38 years of experience, knew he had to climb one of the fire engines to use its mass stream. Shortly after, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) firefighters from the airfield arrived with their crash crew trucks, helping to extinguish the flames with their main line.
All three departments fought the flames, with the Atsugi based firefighters supplying the Ayase City team with water, throughout the night. A total of 35 personnel and seven vehicles assisted with extinguishing the flames. All personnel worked diligently to extinguish the flames. The CNRJ Fire Department’s Engine 7-2 was the last to leave the scene the next morning around 6:12 a.m.
“Though we have a fence between us, I believe building a face-to-face relationship during these operations will significantly contribute to our future activities,” said Toshihiro Wada, chief of Ayase Fire Station in Ayase City, “Additionally, when we were informed we needed to continue discharging water until the morning, Atsugi District Fire Chief said they would stay till the morning also, which encouraged and motivated us in the effort.”
NAF Atsugi, JMSDF, and the local Ayase community assist each other in case of emergencies, like this, as a part of their mutual aid agreement. This agreement plays a crucial part in maintaining the strong relationship between the U.S. Navy and Japan.
“Although it [the fire] was an unfortunate accident, the firefighting operations by the NAF Atsugi Fire and Emergency Services and the JMSDF demonstrated the response capabilities together,” said Rear Adm. Katsuya Suzuki, commander of JMSDF Fleet Air Wing 4, “which are the results of their joint training efforts that they had achieved.”
NAF Atsugi supports the combat readiness of Commander, Fleet Air Western Pacific, Commander, Carrier Air Wing FIVE (CVW) 5, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 51 and 23 other tenant commands, and provides logistic support, coordination, and services to units assigned to the Western Pacific.
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.05.2025 00:15 |
| Story ID: | 499473 |
| Location: | AYASE, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 149 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Joint Cooperation: NAF Atsugi Personnel Assist Ayase City in a Fire Response, by SN Brianna Bonilla, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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