First international students to graduate search and rescue course at Fort Leonard Wood | condition

Takanori Saito (left) and Masahiro Watanabe, wearing blue coats of the U.S. Army Fire Department in Japan Garrison, learn how to stabilize a building with other students in the Urban Search and Rescue course in Training Area 235A. Firefighters from Camp Zama, Japan were at Fort Leonard Wood for the National Defense Civil Support Office's 35-day Urban Search and Rescue course. (Photo credit: Photo by Melissa Buckley, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office) View original text

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Two Japanese firefighters are the first international students to graduate from the Civil Support Office's Urban Search and Rescue course at Fort Leonard Wood Homeland Defense.

Both Camp Zama firefighters work for the U.S. Army Japan Fire Department. Masahiro Watanabe is the assistant fire chief and training officer, and Takanori Saito is the fire crew chief.

The 35-day course provides instruction in six specialties: rope rescue, confined space rescue, trench rescue, collapse rescue, vehicle rescue, and machinery rescue. Lessons are conducted in Training Area 235A, an area containing two 60-foot towers, destroyed vehicles, simulated building collapses and trenches.

“Students learn advanced rescue techniques needed in different environments. They can perform rescues in high-angle situations, collapsing structures, vehicle or machinery accidents, or conditions in a confined space,” said John Miller, chief of Urban Search and Rescue Training. In addition to the collapsed trenches.”

When asked why they wanted to travel to America for the course, Watanabe and Saito had the same answer: earthquakes.

Japan lies across three tectonic plates, making it vulnerable to earthquakes. From April 6 to May 6 this year, there were 218 earthquakes documented by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The strongest earthquake, measuring 6.9, occurred off the coast of the Ogasawara Islands.

“We have a lot of earthquakes. On January 1, we had the strongest earthquake to hit mainland Japan since 2011. It was a strong earthquake and caused a tsunami that hit Japan,” Saito said. “This is what we have to be prepared for.”

Saito was referring to a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck central Japan. The Japanese Meteorological Agency reported that the earthquake destroyed buildings, cut off power to tens of thousands of homes, and forced residents in coastal areas to flee to higher areas.

The Urban Search and Rescue Course training area at Fort Leonard Wood is unique, Saito said, and it's hands-on training they can't receive in Japan.

“Japan doesn't have enough space for this, or cars to practice skills like car extraction,” Saito said. “This course has given me the confidence to apply these life-saving skills if I need to.”

Watanabe agreed.

“This course is very important for us. If a national disaster happens, we should be able to stabilize collapsed buildings and housing,” Watanabe said. “I had some training in search and rescue, but this course taught us newer and better techniques.”

They also learned a lot of new skills, he said.

“We learned how to move large debris and huge pieces of concrete. This was my first opportunity to do that. I had never had the opportunity to practice trench rescue. It is a valuable skill to have,” Watanabe said.

Many U.S. military bases in Japan have towers with multiple apartments on each level to house service members and their families, according to Watanabe.

“Here we learned how to properly stabilize small houses and huge buildings, like the high-rise residential towers found at Camp Zama. They are nine-story high-rise buildings filled with families,” Watanabe said.

One of the best parts of the training, according to firefighters, is getting to know the other students taking the course.

“I don't speak English well, but the soldiers and civilian students helped us. I appreciate everything they support us,” Watanabe said.

According to Miller, Saito and Watanabe were impressive students and did “an amazing job.”

“They worked hard, studied for exams, asked questions when they needed clarity, and worked great with others in small group training,” Miller said.

Saito and Watanabe's class graduated on April 27. The firefighters have returned to Camp Zama, where Saito said they plan to “share their new knowledge with the rest of the department.”

Watanabe said he hopes other firefighters in his department can take the course in the future.

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