Firefighters and engineers from Marine Corps Installation Pacific Fire and Emergency Services conducted a simulated victim decontamination and hazardous materials response at Camp Hansen on June 27.

Firefighters and engineers were assigned to properly aid multiple simulated victims in a chemically toxic environment while also neutralizing the contaminated area in a timely manner.

“The goal of the training was to identify the hazardous materials in a contaminated area and to rescue simulated victims,” said Tatsuya Kudeken, north district battalion chief of MCIPAC F&ES. “This training builds trust among the firefighters and equips them with the knowledge to handle all aspects of HAZMAT emergencies.”

The MCIPAC F&ES firefighters and engineers were divided into two teams, an entry team and a decontamination team. The entry team oversaw the rescue of the simulated victims and their transfer to the decontamination team. Once receiving the patient, the decontamination team conducted a washdown to ensure each victim and rescue personnel were clean.

“We accomplished our goal with the continuation of our familiarization among ourselves and our HAZMAT equipment,” said Makoto. “Conducting this training in any environment helps us become highly proficient with our equipment, leading us to accomplish procedures efficiently.”

Challenges that could potentially pose a problem for firefighters are the uncontrollable environmental factors during an emergency call. Firefighters that wore multiple layers of protective equipment hydrated continuously to prevent heat exhaustion while operating under Okinawa’s heat and humidity. Factors regarding the weather could also tamper with sensitive HAZMAT equipment. Due to high humidity and elevated heat, equipment could return inaccurate readings of the chemicals in the environment.

“Our regular training includes live fires, high angle rescues, flashovers, auto extrication, and HAZMAT,” said Kudeken. “HAZMAT occurrences similar to small spills and gasoline accidents do not happen often. Regardless of the regularity of the accident, we still need to practice and study big incidents to remain prepared when the emergency arises.”