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U.S. Marines with Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting use a hand line to extinguish a fuel fire Jan. 25, 2019 during live-burn training on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. The training is held monthly to provide ARFF Marines with training scenarios to enhance their readiness to respond to any potential hazards or emergencies on the flight line. ARFF Marines entered the training area and used various hand lines, also known as a fire hose, to control and extinguish the fire.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Nicole Rogge

Fuel fires prepare ARFF for any situation

25 Jan 2019 | Lance Cpl. Nicole Rogge The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website

Marines assigned to Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, conducted live-burn training Jan. 24 at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan.

The training allowed Marines to practice utilizing their gear and working under pressure in a controlled environment.

“This training specifically is supposed to simulate and fuel spill,” said Cpl. Riphlei Martinez, a P-19 vehicle handline operator with H&HS, MCAS Futenma. “If an aircraft crashes or has a fuel spill and the fuel spill ignites, this is what we would do if that were to happen.”

Fuel spill fires can be unpredictable and becoming familiar with the procedures can make all the difference.

“Here in Okinawa, training is important because we don’t get calls for very many emergency situations,” said Martinez. “We get new junior Marines every other month and for a lot of them this is their first fire or the first time they practice something that can actually happen.”

This monthly training is part of the intense discipline it take to ensure ARFF Marines are ready for any situation that comes their way.

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