Sailors and firefighters from USS Barry, USS Howard and CFAY Emergency Services conduct integrated fire drill

COMMANDER FLEET ACTIVITIES YOKOSUKA , JAPAN (Jan. 28, 2022) - Sailors from USS Barry (DDG 52), USS Howard (DDG 83), and firefighters from Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) Fire and Emergency Services participated in an integrated fire drill hosted on board the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry on January 28, 2022.

“This integrated drill between the Sailors from Barry, Howard and Fed Fire was an excellent opportunity to train with our nested ships and build strong relationships with the CFAY emergency services,” said Cmdr. Grant Bryan, the Commanding Officer of USS Barry. “This drill demonstrated the capabilities of each entity's equipment, tactics and communications, whether it come from ship or shore. I feel confident that we can effectively will combat a fire or other emergency with our partners should the need ever arise. This is a win for in-port firefighting in the wake of the Bonhomme Richard Major Fire Report”

This drill was designed to enhance coordination between the new Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet approved In-port Emergency Teams (IET) of the ships on the waterfront, and familiarization of the CFAY fire department with combating shipboard fires as an integrated team.

“Fighting a fire on a ship is inherently difficult, but integration between multiple commands adds further challenges” said LT Jordan Brooks, the Damage Control Assistant onboard USS Barry. “But we overcame the challenges that arose, and we will take the lessons learned to improve the way we, as an integrated force respond to a casualty in port.”

Barry is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. As the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet employs 50 to 70 ships and submarines across the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. U.S. 7th Fleet routinely operates and interacts with 35 maritime nations while conducting missions to preserve and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific region.