The overseas overseers: Yokota's incident commanders

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class John D. Partlow
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  When an incident occurs on a base, such as an active shooter situation or major vehicle accident, many different organizations come together to resolve the situation. The person in charge of these operations on the scene is the incident commander.

As incident commander, they oversee and direct the responders working to contain the situation. They also work closely with the emergency operation center, ensuring base leadership has correct and current information.

The specific duties of an incident commander can range from being in charge of building evacuations to making sure Airmen working in the affected area have plenty of food and water.

"Being the incident commander can be very stressful," said Master Sgt. Jon Ammon, 374th Civil Engineer Squadron assistant chief of operations, "but we are well trained by some of the best schools and courses in the world. The incident command system is a relatively new, mandated system for civilian first responders back in the U.S., but the Air Force has been practicing ICS for years, so we are very well trained and experienced."

On Dec. 6, 2011, two incident commanders at Yokota were faced with a situation that required not only their expertise, but also the assistant of many military members to include fellow service members from Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.

During a dig at a construction site here, a World War II-era unexploded ordnance was discovered. After being notified of the situation, Master Sgt. James Beasley, 374th CES assistant chief of operations, and Ammon began taking shifts as incident commanders.

The incident commanders began sending Airmen from the 374th Security Forces Squadron to evacuate the area near the bomb site.

After a cordon was established around the site, an explosive ordnance disposal team from Yokosuka, helped relieve the situation.

"Our initial priority was to isolate the site," said Ammon. "We wanted everyone safe and away from the UXO. Once we isolated the area, we shifted our focus to EOD and how best to support them."

With the EOD team's guidance, 374th CES members carefully placed wood, sandbags and sand on top of the site to suppress the blast.

The EOD team detonated the UXO shortly thereafter, and the cordon around the site was soon lifted. The operation went without incident because of the coordination of the involved Yokota members.

"No one got hurt so it went well," said Beasley.

While incidents could happen at virtually any time, Yokota members can rest assured knowing that Yokota personnel are standing by, waiting to take command and control.

"I love my job," said Beasley. "I get paid to do a job and hold a position that is so fulfilling personally, and I couldn't ask for anything more."