Check out to get out: MCAS Iwakuni evacuation drill

Photo By Cpl. Darien Wright | An American Red Cross representative stamps a Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni resident’s checklist during an Emergency Evacuation Program drill as part of Exercise Active Shield at the air station’s Iron Works North gymnasium, Oct. 13, 2021. The drill was designed to rehearse and refine evacuation procedures in the event of a real-world emergency. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Darien Wright)  

IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JAPAN

10.13.2021

Story by Lance Cpl. Darien Wright 

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

Starting 10 a.m., residents of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni began processing through an Emergency Evacuation Control Center at the air station’s Iron Works North gymnasium as part of an Emergency Evacuation Program drill, October 13, 2021.
The EEP drill, conducted annually as part of Exercise Active Shield—a bilateral exercise in which the installation exercises various elements of its base defense plane to ensure it remains commitments to the U.S.- Japan Alliance—affords the installation's residents to prepare their families in the event of a real-world emergency.
Serval weeks prior to the drill, MCAS Iwakuni gave early notice to residents and provided in-person assistance for families completing their EEP packet. After packets were completed, residents waited to be notified of their day and time to report to the ECC.
“Evacuations are very fast and very sudden, so it’s important to conduct these exercises to show everyone what it’s like to evacuate in case of an emergency," said Drew Martinolich, the training and exercise planner with MCAS Iwakuni’s operations department. “It helps things run smoothly.”
Once at the EEC, residents stopped at stations, such as postal, distribution management, the American Red Cross, and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, to ensure their belongings were taken care of and to confirm the had necessary documents in hand for evacuating the air station.
“You can never be too prepared, and that is why I think this drill is vital to the air station and those who live in it,” said Michael Braden, a participant of the evacuation drill, and San Antonio native.
Despite the emergency being notional, the exercise is designed to prepare base residents for potential risks, such as natural disasters, which could threaten the livelihood of residents of MCAS Iwakuni.

• Date Taken: 10.13.2021
• Date Posted: 12.12.2021 21:49
• Story ID: 410870
• Location: IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JP