Photo By Yoshie Makiyama | A Japanese security guard of the Provost Marshal's Office, Marine Corps Base Camp...... read more read more
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In the morning on May 7, 2024, 15 people stood at a four-way traffic intersection near the gate by the Camp Foster Fire Station. All in the same uniform, they were looking one direction focused on one person who stood in the middle of the intersection. It was the training conducted by Japanese security guards who work as Master Labor Contractors at the Provost Marshal's Office, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Marine Corps Installations Pacific in Okinawa.
MCIPAC’s Provost Marshal's Office serves as the military police, criminal investigators, security guards, vehicle registration enforcers for Status of Forces Agreement members, and Japanese law enforcement liaisons.
Although a little over 300 MLCs work in those offices, more than 200 are assigned as security guards. They are the first line of response providing quality security at the gates for MCIPAC Okinawa bases. They also perform limited patrol duties to provide security for organizational assets and other security on base.
“We are conducting a Traffic Control Training (TCT) event in case the traffic signals break down and become unusable,” said Manabu Yokoda, platoon leader, and one of four members from Camp Kinser PMO, “so we can lead the traffic in a safe manner if it actually happens.”
According to Yokoda, they run TCT once or twice a year. This was the first training of the year at the four way intersection and 13 security guards participated from Camps Foster and Kinser.
“If we have too many people, it is difficult to focus on the training,” said Yokoda. “Concentration is better by keeping the number of people small.”
Some trainees have been on the force as long as 30 years, but some had joined the team recently.
“I just started working at PMO on April 1, 2024,” said Rian Arakaki from Camp Foster PMO, who transferred from a temporary delivery driver on Kadena Air Base. “We did this training before at a three-way intersection as a part of newcomers' drill.”
Arakaki recalled that he lost his calm when more vehicles came from the main road when the traffic light turned green. He wanted to control it accordingly, such as giving priority to traffic lights or places that were getting jammed up.
“I still have a lot to learn,” said Arakaki. “After it’s over and I recall my action, I blew the whistle too often and my hand movements were not clear to the drivers. After all, I should have responded more calmly but I did try to make eye contact with the drivers.”
Arakaki stated that this training realized his weaknesses but he raised his head and looked forward to doing his best with confidence like his seniors and said that he learned a lot from the on-site training.
Yokoda said that even though a slower traffic hour was chosen for the training, it still served well since the members actually held the training in a real environment other than just at a desk.
According to Yokoda, when you conduct traffic control, you have to choose a good position in the intersection for your own safety. Because you are unable to see behind yourself, you must be careful not to be caught in the traffic coming from your back. If there are pedestrians, you need to stop the traffic from all directions. Pedestrians are the priority, and always maintain a 360-degree field of view. He said, however, that the most important thing to keep in mind, he said, is not to panic.
| Date Taken: | 05.07.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2024 19:29 |
| Story ID: | 486865 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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