The U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), completed its annual integrated fire drill, Jan. 7., in preparation for an upcoming selective restricted availability (SRA) period.

During the drill, both civilian contractors and Commander, Naval Forces Japan (CNFJ) Fire and Emergency Services cooperated with Ronald Reagan's emergency response team to fight a simulated fire and evacuate Sailors and civilians.

"This drill is important due to the high number of civilians we have on board throughout the SRA period," said Damage Controlman 1st Class Jose Magana, one of the drill's facilitators and from Winton, California. "Even though we're in port, we need to maintain our readiness by conducting regular drills so the skills we learned underway are maintained during the in port period."

About 50 Sailors and 20 CNJF Fire and Emergency Service members worked together to evacuate more than 100 civilian contractors during the drill.

"The ship doesn't have as many civilian personnel on board on a regular basis," said William Saurer, drill coordinator with Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. "We need to run this fire drill before SRA to ensure that the ship knows how to evacuate civilians and that they know how to properly get off the ship in an emergency."

The large number of evacuees created a unique challenge for everyone involved with the drill.

"It's definitely a challenge to do something this big," said Chief Warrant Officer Rodrick Thomas, Ronald Reagan's fire marshall. "No matter how much you plan, things always run differently than we expect. We always learn something new when something unexpected happens and we use that to better ourselves so we're ready if the real thing ever happens."

Ronald Reagan maintains its own team of damage control specialists, the inport emergency team (IET), which acts as the initial response to shipboard casualties.

"The IET is comprised of members from the ships crew who are especially trained to respond to casualties," said Thomas. "They are able to act as the ships emergency services, standing in as firemen, emergency medical technicians and first responders. We run drills constantly to reinforce their skills to prepare them in case of an actual casualty. Anything that goes wrong can quickly cause a lot of damage, so we have to be ready to save the ship at any time."

In addition to the annual integrated fire drill, Ronald Reagan Sailors conduct daily damage control drills designed to ensure a quick and effective response to any kind of shipboard emergency while in port or underway.

Ronald Reagan and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

For more news from USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), visit www.navy.mil/.