TOKYO — People on or around Hardy Barracks on Wednesday morning saw something not normally seen on the downtown U.S. Army installation: a bright red Tokyo Fire Department helicopter.
Beginning in April, the fire department will have access to the heliport on the compound to evacuate patients from islands near the metropolis to downtown hospitals.
The heliport access is part of a larger 2003 agreement that allows Japanese access to all U.S. military installations in the country for humanitarian evacuations, said Alberto Smith, airfield manager for Camp Zama, which administers Hardy Barracks.
Wednesday’s activities were designed to train Tokyo Fire Department personnel on landing and taking off from the heliport.
As the helicopter landed, Japanese emergency personnel, who arrived in an ambulance, approached the aircraft in preparation for transporting their simulated patient to the hospital.
Smith said the landing site for TFD helicopters is about 30 minutes from the closest trauma center. Having access to the Army’s heliport reduces the time by about 20 minutes.
“This will save time and, hopefully, lives,” said Ed Roper, a spokesman for U.S. Army Garrison Japan. “The Army is happy to be able to cooperate with the Japanese government to save people’s lives.”