Photo By Senior Airman Koby Mitchell | A Hachinohe City Fire Department water line and connection drains during a fuel tank...... read more read more
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MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan – 35th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES) firefighters trained with the Hachinohe City Fire Department and Naval Air Facility counterparts during an annual fire response drill at the Hachinohe petroleum, oils and lubricants (POL) facility at Hachinohe City, Japan Sept. 3, 2025.
The training tested communication and response procedures for containing a simulated fuel fire at the off-base storage site, located about an hour south of Misawa Air Base. The annual drill is designed to ensure local responders can mitigate damage until U.S. Air Force firefighters arrive on scene.
“We have an agreement with the Navy and the local fire department to support fire protection at the POL yard,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Roger Halle, 35th CES fire chief. “Because of the geographical separation, it can take an hour to respond, so this partnership is critical to protecting such a vital asset.”
During the drill, Hachinohe City firefighters practiced containing flames to a single fuel tank, preventing the spread to surrounding storage areas. Their actions demonstrated the importance of rehearsing containment measures in order to preserve resources essential to regional security, and continued to improve the readiness and efficiency of their timely response.
One of the biggest challenges in combined training is bridging language and procedural differences between civilian and military responders. Regular drills, Halle emphasized, help refine communication and build trust.
“Communication is always a challenge, even if everyone speaks the same language,” Halle said. “By training together, we learn each other’s capabilities and expectations. That makes it much easier to respond effectively during a real emergency.”
For 35th CES firefighters, the drill also served as a chance to identify the equipment and manpower they would need in a real-world response.
The partnership between 35th CES firefighters and the Hachinohe City Fire Department spans more than 25 years. That long-standing cooperation ensures both teams are better prepared to protect the community and safeguard critical fuel supplies that support U.S. and allied operations in the Indo-Pacific.
| Date Taken: | 09.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.03.2025 22:17 |
| Story ID: | 547187 |
| Location: | HACHINOHE, AOMORI, JP |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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