MCAS Iwakuni Fire & Emergency Services

22/05/2026

18/05/2026

The weather is warming up, the grills are coming out, and more people are spending time outside with family and friends.

Before you fire up the grill, remember:

🔥 Keep grills at least 10 feet away from homes and anything that can burn.
🔥 Never leave cooking unattended
🔥 Keep kids and pets away from hot grills.
🔥 Keep a hose, bucket of water, or fire extinguisher nearby.
🔥 Let charcoal cool completely before throwing it away.

Enjoy the sunshine. Enjoy the food. Stay safe and protect what matters most.

15/05/2026

Please join us in welcoming Firefighter Yousei Shibata to the MCAS Iwakuni Fire Department team.
Ever since he was a child, Firefighter Shibata knew he wanted a career dedicated to helping others. In every vision he had for his future, there was always a firefighter standing there, inspiring him to pursue the profession himself. Shibata-san has always enjoyed staying physically active and participated in a variety of sports growing up. Before joining the fire department, he worked in a physically demanding field position that helped build the work ethic, endurance, and hands-on experience he brings to the job today.
Prior to becoming a firefighter, he also worked aboard the installation and became very familiar with the housing areas, building layouts, and addressing system throughout the base. He believed this knowledge could become an asset during emergency response operations, which motivated him to join the department. To Firefighter Shibata, firefighters are an essential part of the community. They constantly train for emergencies, respond without hesitation, and work to save people from life-threatening situations when every second matters.
His biggest goal is simple: help as many people as possible and dedicate himself to serving others. He also strives to become someone the community can fully trust, providing reassurance and confidence through his actions, professionalism, and response during emergencies. Firefighter Shibata believes in training hard every day, so he is always prepared to respond no matter the situation. He is committed to serving the community with dedication, readiness, and professionalism.
Outside of work, Shibata-san enjoys fishing and spends a great deal of time on the water depending on the season. He especially enjoys squid fishing and hopes that one day he will achieve his dream of catching a big tuna!
MCAS岩国消防隊の新しいメンバー、消防士・柴田 陽成（しばた ようせい）さんをぜひ歓迎してください。
柴田消防士は幼い頃から、人の役に立つ仕事に就きたいと考えていました。将来を思い描くたび、その先にはいつも消防士の姿があり、自身も消防士になりたいという思いを強く抱くようになりました。
柴田さんは昔から体を動かすことが好きで、さまざまなスポーツに取り組んできました。消防隊に入る前は、体力を必要とする現場仕事に従事しており、その経験を通じて、現在の消防業務にも活かされている体力、忍耐力、そして実践的な経験を培ってきました。
また、消防士になる前には基地内で勤務していた経験があり、住宅地区、建物の間取り、そして基地内の番地システムについて深い知識を持っています。彼は、その知識が緊急対応時に役立つと考え、それを活かしたいという思いから消防隊を志望しました。
柴田消防士にとって消防士とは、地域社会にとって欠かすことのできない存在です。常に緊急事態に備えて訓練を重ね、ためらうことなく現場へ駆けつけ、一秒を争う状況の中で人々を命の危険から救う存在だと考えています。
彼の最大の目標は、できるだけ多くの人を助け、人の役に立つことです。また、地域の皆さまから信頼される消防士となり、行動や対応、そしてプロフェッショナルとしての姿勢を通じて、安心感と信頼を届けられる存在を目指しています。
柴田消防士は、どのような状況にも対応できるよう、日々厳しい訓練を積み重ねています。常に準備を怠らず、献身、即応性、そして高い専門性を持って地域社会に貢献することを大切にしています。
プライベートでは釣りが趣味で、季節によっては頻繁に海へ出かけています。特にイカ釣りを楽しんでおり、いつか大きなマグロを釣り上げることが夢です。

15/05/2026

Sending on behalf of our freinds at the Station Safety Center. This year’s Critical Days of Summer (CDS) Safety Campaign runs from 22 May through 7 September 2026 and includes both Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.

This period is considered critical because, statistically, more Marines, Sailors, and Civilians are injured or lose their lives during this time of year due to outdoor related summer activities.

In addition to Command and Unit Safety standdown/pauses and in an effort to promote safety awareness, Installation Safety Office will be sending out monthly safety flyers via email with essential seasonal safety tips. Let’s do our part to avoid becoming a summer safety statistic!

Stay safe!

12/05/2026

Please join us in welcoming Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention Robert Rudolph to the MCAS Iwakuni Fire & Emergency Services team.

Originally from St. Cloud, Minnesota, Assistant Chief Rudolph brings more than 20 years of experience in the fire service and emergency response profession. His career began as a Marine Corps Aircraft Firefighting Specialist, where he built a strong operational foundation through years of service, leadership, and training.

Throughout his career, he has also served as an instructor at the DoD Fire Academy, teaching both the Basic Course and Advanced Rescue Course. In addition to his operational and instructional experience, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Science Management. AC Rudolph joined this role because of his passion for the fire service profession and his continued commitment to serving the Iwakuni community. Having called Iwakuni home for many years, he is dedicated to supporting both the installation and the surrounding community through strong leadership, education, and prevention efforts.

His leadership philosophy is simple: set the standard, communicate clearly, and lead through continuous development, consistency, and support. He believes in taking ownership of the mission and ensuring the department provides dependable and professional service to the community every day. As the Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention, his priorities focus heavily on education and training. He strongly believes that knowledge is one of the most important tools in public safety. As he likes to say, quoting G.I. Joe, “Knowing is half the battle.”

He also places a high value on the professionalism, dedication, and expertise of the Fire Prevention team and recognizes the important role inspectors play in protecting lives, property, and mission readiness across the installation.

Outside of work, Bob enjoys traveling throughout Japan on his classic Goldwing motorcycle. Even after many years living here, he continues to enjoy exploring the country, culture, and communities that make Japan unique.

MCAS岩国消防・救急サービス隊の新しい防火予防担当副署長、ロバート・ルドルフ氏をぜひ歓迎してください。
ミネソタ州セントクラウド出身のルドルフ副署長は、20年以上にわたる消防・緊急対応分野での豊富な経験を持っています。彼のキャリアは、海兵隊航空機消防専門員として始まり、長年の勤務、指導、訓練を通じて、強固な現場運用の基盤を築いてきました。
これまでのキャリアの中で、DoD消防学校の教官としても勤務し、基礎課程および高度救助課程の指導を担当してきました。また、現場経験と教育経験に加え、火災科学管理学の学士号も取得しています。
ルドルフ副署長がこの役職に就いた理由は、消防という職業への情熱と、岩国コミュニティへ引き続き貢献したいという思いからです。長年岩国を第二の故郷としてきた彼は、強いリーダーシップ、教育、そして予防活動を通じて、基地および地域社会を支えることに尽力しています。
彼のリーダーシップ哲学はシンプルです。「基準を示し、明確にコミュニケーションを取り、継続的な成長、一貫性、そして支援を通じて導くこと。」また、任務に対して責任を持ち、地域社会へ常に信頼できる専門的なサービスを提供することを大切にしています。
防火予防担当副署長として、彼が特に重視しているのは教育と訓練です。公共安全において、「知識」は最も重要なツールの一つであると強く信じています。本人もよくGIジョーの言葉を引用して、「知ることは戦いの半分だ（Knowing is half the battle）」と話しています。
また、火災予防チームの専門知識、献身、そして高いプロ意識を非常に大切にしており、査察官たちが基地全体の人命、財産、そして任務遂行能力を守るうえで重要な役割を果たしていることを理解しています。
プライベートでは、愛車のクラシック・ゴールドウイングに乗って日本各地を旅することを楽しんでいます。長年日本で生活している現在でも、日本の文化や地域、人々との出会いを楽しみながら各地を巡っています。

11/05/2026

Please join us in welcoming Firefighter Naoyuki Kawamoto to the MCAS Iwakuni Fire Department team.

Originally from Iwakuni City, Firefighter Kawamoto brings eight years of firefighting and EMS experience from the Iwakuni District Fire Department, where he served as both a firefighter and EMT. His background in emergency response, combined with his commitment to serving others, led him to join the MCAS Iwakuni Fire Department team.

Kawamoto-san chose this profession because he wanted to protect the everyday safety of the community and provide help to those facing disasters or medical emergencies. He is also passionate about sharing disaster response and medical knowledge with the public to help improve community preparedness and safety.
Before beginning his fire service career, he competed in track and field as a hammer throw athlete. That competitive background helped develop the discipline, focus, and physical fitness that continue to support him in the fire service today.

One of the reasons Firefighter Kawamoto joined our department was to broaden his perspective by learning different firefighting equipment, tactics, and operational approaches used in American fire services. He is particularly interested in modern fire attack tactics, ventilation control, and interior structural firefighting techniques. His goal is not only to continue growing as a firefighter, but also to help build stronger professional relationships and knowledge sharing between the Iwakuni Fire Department and the Base Fire Department so both organizations can positively influence one another.

To Kawamoto-san, firefighters are reliable and reassuring professionals who people can depend on during difficult moments. He is focused on continuing his professional development by earning Firefighter I & II certifications, expanding his understanding of fire tactics, and constantly improving his operational skills. He believes in maintaining a mindset of calm urgency during emergencies while continuing to strengthen his physical fitness so he can operate safely and effectively at any incident.
Outside of work, Firefighter Kawamoto enjoys strength training, bodybuilding, hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, motorcycling, cooking, and traveling.

MCAS岩国消防隊の新しいメンバー、消防士・川本 尚幸（かわもと なおゆき）さんをぜひ歓迎してください。
川本消防士は岩国市出身で、岩国地区消防組合にて8年間、消防士兼救急隊員として勤務してきました。緊急対応の経験と、人々を支えたいという強い思いを胸に、MCAS岩国消防隊の一員となりました。
川本さんが消防士という職業を選んだ理由は、地域の皆さまの日常の安全を守り、災害や急病などで困っている方々を助けたいという思いからです。また、災害対応や救急に関する知識を地域社会へ広め、地域全体の防災意識と安全向上に貢献したいと考えています。

消防の道に進む前は、陸上競技のハンマー投げ選手として活動していました。その競技経験を通じて培った規律、集中力、そして体力は、現在の消防業務にも大いに活かされています。
川本消防士が当消防隊を志望した理由の一つは、アメリカ式消防の装備、戦術、運用方法を学び、自身の視野を広げたいと考えたためです。特に、現代的な火災戦術、換気コントロール、屋内進入戦術に強い関心を持っています。また、自身の成長だけでなく、岩国地区消防組合と基地消防隊の間で知識や経験を共有し、互いに良い影響を与え合える関係づくりにも貢献したいと考えています。
川本さんにとって消防士とは、困難な状況の中で人々が頼ることのできる、安心感を与える存在です。現在は、Firefighter I & II資格の取得、火災戦術の知識向上、そして現場活動スキルの継続的な向上に力を入れています。また、どのような災害現場でも冷静さを保ちながら迅速に行動することを大切にしており、安全かつ効果的に活動できるよう、日々体力向上にも努めています。
プライベートでは、筋力トレーニング、ボディメイク、登山、SUP（スタンドアップパドルボード）、バイク、料理、旅行などを楽しんでいます。

10/05/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible moms in our community and within our fire department family. Thank you for your strength, sacrifice, love, and endless support. Today, we celebrate you. ❤️🚒

09/05/2026

Hello everyone, please stay safe out there.

19/02/2026

Prove 証明 by Doc McIntyre
I’m always tempted to tell new managers to stop worrying about proving themselves, but the truth is new managers DO need to prove themselves. But they need to prove the right things about themselves.
They need to prove how helpful, humble, and hard-working they are.
They do NOT need to prove how smart they are.
I know the new manager nightmare about being asked a question in public and not knowing the answer and everybody thinking you’re an imposter (and then all your teeth fall out). But that’s all in your head. People are perfectly okay with you saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out ASAP and get back to you.”
Here’s a related quote: “Great leaders aren’t know-it-alls; they’re ask-it-alls.”
Demonstrating curiosity gets you a lot farther than demonstrating IQ.
新任マネージャーには「自分の力を証明しようとするな」と言いたくなることがあります。
でも実際のところ、新任マネージャーが自分の力を証明する必要はあるのです。
ただし、どんな力があることを証明するのか。そこが大事なところです。
証明すべきなのは、
自分がどれだけみんなの役に立てるか、謙虚であるか、そしてどれだけ働き者かです。
自分がどれだけ頭がいいか・・これは証明する必要ありません。
人前で質問されて答えが分からず、「みんなに無能だと思われるんじゃないか」と不安になる―
そんな新任マネージャーの悪夢のような気持ちはよく分かります（夢の中だと歯が全部抜けたりする、そんな感じでしょうか）。
でも大抵の場合、それは自分の頭の中だけのこと。ただの思い込みです。
「分かりませんが、すぐに調べて折り返します」・・・と言っても、みんな全然大丈夫なんです。
こんな言葉があります。
「優れたリーダーは“何でも知っている人”ではない。“何でも質問する人”だ。」
IQの高さを示すよりも、知りたい気持ちを表すほうが、ずっと遠くまで行けるのです。

12/02/2026

A little late but we wanted to take the time to congratulate our 4th quarter award winners for 2025! Captain Imanishi, Lieutenant Sakita, Firefighter Yuichi Nakamura, and Inspector Ando. Thank you for representing MCAS Iwakuni Fire & Emergency Services with continuous pride and professionalism.

A special congratulations to AC Kobayashi for receiving his 30 year Length of Service Award. Thank you for your 30 years of dedication to protecting the MCAS Iwakuni community!