Two days marks one month since the plane crash that occurred at Haneda Airport.
The airport firefighters who were working on extinguishing the fire at the time responded to the interview, and their interview provided details of the tense firefighting efforts, as well as the issues involved in guiding passengers to evacuate after they escaped from the aircraft.
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Airport firefighter testifies for the first time, revealing tense firefighting efforts
The situation at the time can be seen from the radio records of the airport fire department.
Firefighters are stationed at all airports Haneda Airport's fire department is the only one in the country that is under direct control of the national government
Airport firefighting training facility in Omura, Nagasaki - Training with full-size models
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table of contents
table of contents
Airport firefighter testifies for the first time, revealing tense firefighting efforts
The situation at the time can be seen from the radio records of the airport fire department.
Firefighters are stationed at all airports Haneda Airport's fire department is the only one in the country that is under direct control of the national government
Airport firefighting training facility in Omura, Nagasaki - Training with full-size models
Airport firefighter testifies for the first time, revealing tense firefighting efforts
The person who responded to the interview was Shinnosuke Naruse, a firefighter belonging to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Tokyo Airport Office, who was involved in extinguishing the fire at the time of the accident.
He was in charge of one of the six vehicles dispatched and was in charge of coordinating with other vehicles.
Immediately before the accident, Naruse was working on a fire engine at the government building on the west side of the airport when he heard a message from air traffic control saying, ``A fire has broken out on Runway C.'' I rushed.
On the way to Japan Airlines, which has stopped on Runway C, a message is received over the radio installed in the car that the escape shooter is open.
Looking back on his feelings at the time, Naruse says, ``When I realized that it was a passenger plane that was on fire, my sense of crisis increased as I realized that many lives were at stake.''
As the fire engine entered Runway C, orange flames could be seen, and it was revealed that the left engine and left wing of the Japanese aircraft were on fire.
When they arrived near the Japan Airlines, flames had risen to the point where they exceeded the height of the aircraft, and Naruse sprayed water on the fuselage to lower the temperature inside the aircraft, where there were still passengers.
During firefighting efforts, it was confirmed that in addition to the two escape shooters at the front of the aircraft, the shooter at the rear of the left engine, which continued to burn, was open. We carried out extinguishing efforts to prevent the fire from going any further."
Issues with evacuation guidance for evacuated passengers
On the other hand, Mr. Naruse's story also revealed the issue of evacuation guidance for passengers after escaping from the aircraft.
Passengers came out of the evacuation shooter one after another, but after that some remained near the aircraft, some waiting for their families and others standing frozen looking at the aircraft.
Naruse said, ``Not only can you get caught up in a fire, but it can also hinder firefighting efforts, so you can't just say things like, ``It's dangerous, please run away,'' and ``Don't look at me, run away.'' There were some people there, so I kind of pulled on their shoulders and asked them to help."
She then said, ``It was an unprecedented experience where so many lives were actually at stake.Based on my experience with this firefighting operation, I would like to continue to raise the bar.''
The situation at the time can be seen from the radio records of the airport fire department.
After the accident, the airport fire department, which was involved in extinguishing the aircraft, was compiling the status of its operations based on radio records and other sources.
Through interviews with the fire department, we gradually learned about the situation at the time.
▽At around 5:47 p.m., when the accident occurred,
the control tower notified the fire department's dispatcher of the accident.
▽At around 5:48 p.m.,
the communications command issued an order to all six fire engines to be dispatched to Runway C, which was the site of the accident.
▽At around 5:51 p.m.,
three fire engines from the east fire department building arrived at the Japan Coast Guard aircraft and began spraying water onto the entire aircraft.
▽At around 5:51 p.m.,
three fire engines that left the West Government Building also arrived at JAL and began spraying water onto the left wing.
The flames were said to have spread from near the left engine.
▽At around 5:52 p.m.,
a dispatch request was made to the Tokyo Fire Department from the dispatcher, and from the Tokyo Airport Office to the Metropolitan Police Department.
▽At around 5:52 p.m.,
firefighters evacuated from Japan Airlines and called on passengers who had remained near the aircraft to leave the area.
The fire was spreading and it was dangerous.
Until now, it has been revealed that all 379 passengers and crew members finished evacuating from the aircraft 18 minutes after the accident occurred, but now it has been newly discovered that the evacuation had already begun 5 minutes after the accident. I did.
▽At around 5:57 p.m.,
the communications command sent an emergency alert to 90 businesses related to Haneda, including airlines.
▽At around 6:01 p.m.,
the intensity of the fire on the left wing temporarily subsided.
▽Around 6:05 p.m.,
a fire engine moved to the rear left side of the aircraft and began extinguishing the fire.
▽At around 6:11 p.m.,
fire spread to the fuselage, so firefighting efforts began to extinguish the entire aircraft.
▽At around 6:13 p.m.,
the intensity of the fire in the torso subsided temporarily. ▽
After confirming that no one was left behind in the aircraft, the captain, who had escaped at around
6:22 p.m. , guided the passengers and crew to the apron.
Firefighters are stationed at all airports Haneda Airport's fire department is the only one in the country that is under direct control of the national government
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, in preparation for aircraft fires, fire departments have been deployed at airports in accordance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards.
There are 10 standards based on the overall length and fuselage width of the largest aircraft in service, and each has a firefighting system that can secure the specified amount of water.
Haneda Airport is the only place in Japan that has a fire department under direct control of the national government, and it belongs to the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
This fire department is divided into the East and West Government Buildings on the grounds of Haneda Airport, and each has three fire trucks and a total of 12 members on standby.
The communications control room is located in the east government building.
On the other hand, airports other than Haneda are outsourcing this to other organizations or setting up organizations within airport companies.
The fire departments at each airport work together with local government fire departments, and in some cases they may be called upon to respond in the event of an emergency.
Airport firefighting training facility in Omura, Nagasaki - Training with full-size models
The Airport Security and Disaster Prevention Education and Training Center, a training facility run by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism that specializes in airport firefighting, is located in Omura City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and training using full-size aircraft models is held throughout the year.
On the 31st of last month, a training session was held for members who have been in service for less than a year, and a total of 12 people participated, including the Haneda team members who were involved in extinguishing the fire caused by the collision and fire that occurred on the 2nd, as well as Osaka and other locations. .
The training was conducted based on the assumption that the left wing touched the ground during landing, causing a fire and fuel leakage.A model of a Boeing 767 at the facility was actually set on fire, and three fire engines were set up. I was dispatched.
If the jet fuel onboard the aircraft ignited, the temperature inside the aircraft would rise rapidly and there was a risk of an explosion, so three fire engines rushed to the scene and sprayed large amounts of water at once.
The three vehicles are special vehicles known as airport chemical fire engines, and instead of being sprayed with water by a fire hose, they spray water directly from the vehicle body.
The amount of water released is 6,000 liters per minute, which is approximately twice as much as a typical fire engine.
Although it was not used in this training, in the event of an actual fire, the sprayed water contains chemicals that turn into bubbles and suppress the oxygen supply to prevent the spread of fire.
During the drill, after the fire had subsided, members got off the fire truck and sprayed water with a hose around the escape exit to help passengers evacuate.
Director: ``My mindset has changed. Once the accident verification is complete, it will be reflected in training.''
Kazutoyo Tomori, director of the Airport Security and Disaster Prevention Education and Training Center, said, ``Aircraft disasters rarely occur and are rarely experienced. That's why the experience of actually burning fires and spraying water gives staff confidence. I have changed my awareness that fires are a possibility.I would like to reflect this in future training once the accident verification is complete.''