Navy and Guam Fire Department Partner to Extinguish Grassfire ASAN, Guam (April 7, 2014) – Navy Sailors and civilian firefighters partnered with the Guam Fire Department to extinguish a grassfire that affected approximately 20 acres of land on Nimitz Hill April 5-6. Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 deployed a MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter that conducted five daytime and five nighttime water drops while three U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) Fire and Emergency Services (FES) crews fought the fire on the ground alongside Guam Fire Department counterparts. “The dedication and professionalism of the pilots and crew of HSC-25 attest to the Navy’s commitment to preserve life and property,” said Joint Region Marianas Chief of Staff Capt. Mark Scovill. “The day and night trainings they consistently conduct around the island prepare the crew to respond to emergencies such as the recent grassfires.” Continuous training proved beneficial to the community as the blaze was extinguished preventing evacuation of nearby residents and damage to structures. “The team here on Guam relies upon mutually supporting assets across the military and civilian sector to be ready day or night to respond to any number of scenarios,” said HSC-25 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Gregory Leland. “Our crews train relentlessly to provide 24-7, 365 days of search and rescue capability as well as our need to provide combat ready aircraft and crews in the Pacific Command area. The syllabus used to train for combat plays well into the skill sets needed to fight fires, rescue people from life-threatening scenarios and be on call for any number of unplanned events, be it terrorist scenario, humanitarian assistance or disaster relief. The Island Knights stand ready with our brothers and sisters in the Coast Guard, Air Force and Guam first responders to maintain the ability to help those in need. We will not fail, we are always on watch.” Navy firefighters provided fire suppression with three fire engines in partnership with Guam Fire Department personnel. The Navy firefighters fought the blaze at Sasa Valley and Turner Road. “Our firefighters have a great working relationship with Guam Fire Department,” said NBG Fire Chief Robert Green. “We know we can depend on one another to protect life and prevent the destruction of property.”
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 09:44:56 +0000
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