Misawa City and Misawa Air Base firefighters work to extinguish a simulated UH-60 crash Wednesday at the city port during a joint training exercise. (By T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
Misawa City and Misawa Air Base firefighters work to extinguish a simulated UH-60 crash Wednesday at the city port during a joint training exercise. (By T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
A Misawa City policeman discovers two 'injured' American helicopter pilots during a training exercise Wednesday at the city port. Japanese and American officials worked to fine-tune their response to an off-base incident involving an American aircraft. (By T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
Tech. Sgt. George Gooden, of the 35th Security Forces Squadron on Misawa Air Base, Japan, charts the flow of traffic though the 'entry control point' of a simulated aircraft fire at the Misawa City port on Wednesday. Japanese and American officials hosted the joint training exercise to fine-tune their response to an off-base incident involving an American aircraft. (By T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
A Misawa Air Base firefighter treats Senior Airman Michael Ziemet, playing the role of an injured UH-60 pilot, during a training exercise Wednesday at the Misawa City port. (By T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
Elaine Ortiz-Harrison applies fake injuries to Senior Airman Kyle Moore on Wednesday prior to a training exercise. Japanese and American officials co-hosted the joint training exercise to fine-tune their response to an off-base incident involving an American aircraft. (T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
Misawa City and Misawa Air Base fire trucks crowded into the city port Wednesday for a joint training exercise that allowed Japanese and American officials to fine-tune their response to an off-base incident involving an American aircraft. (T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
MISAWA CITY, Japan — U.S. and Japanese officials co-hosted a training exercise in the city port Wednesday to fine-tune their response to a crashed U.S. aircraft in the Japanese community.
Japanese politicians, U.S. military officials from Misawa Air Base, and senior emergency responders watched the action from a second-floor vantage point and control center.
In the scenario, a U.S. military UH-60 helicopter pilot radioed that he had an in-flight emergency and came in for a hard-landing in a huge field at the port.
On the ground, an old car surrounded by flares represented the helicopter. When the pilots — two airmen with fake injuries — exited and limped away from the crash, flares were lit and a giant smoke device began pumping billowing orange clouds throughout the site. A Japanese man playing the role of an injured bystander lay sprawled on the other end of the field.
Japanese police were the first to respond, shouting questions in English to the pilots. Within minutes, Japanese and U.S. military firefighters were on the scene working to evacuate the injured men and to extinguish the blaze. Military police from the 35th Security Forces Squadron cordoned off the area.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, translators worked furiously to pass information between the Japanese and American on-scene commanders working to control the chaos.
Master Sgt. Lee Manley used a bullhorn to pass critical information about the wounded to a group of senior first responders, including medical personnel, firefighters and police.
The exercise was the end-result of several months of planning, according to Lt. Col. Dwayne Robison, commander of Misawa’s 35th Civil Engineer Squadron. Communication is a key component, he said, and the exercise is crucial for ensuring that various agencies can work together in the event of a real crash.
He was happy with the initial results, calling the exercise a “validation of lots of hard work.”
Next up, he said, will be more meetings to talk about lessons learned and to continue to build on their skill sets.
Misawa City Vice Mayor Kazunori Otsuka praised the exercise, saying it would help ease local residents’ anxiety.
“Thank you very much for your continuous support to make this city a safer place,” Otsuka said during an opening speech.
