Joint Base Journal Vol. 4, No. 7
February 22, 2013
News and information for and about the premier Joint Base and its region www.facebook.com/jointbase
J OINT B ASE A NACOSTIA-B OLLING
www.cnic.navy.mil/jbab
Fire destroys pair of townhomes in Bellevue Housing BY PAUL BELLO
JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING PUBLIC AFFAIRS
JOINT BASE ANACOSTIABOLLING, D.C. – An early morning fire Feb. 18 destroyed a pair a townhomes in Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling’s (JBAB) Bellevue Housing area, leaving one local firefighter slightly injured and five families displaced as a result of the wind-swept blaze. The fire was reported at 8:52 a.m. on the south side of the base along Helm Court. More than 60 firefighters from Naval District Washington (NDW) and Washington Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services converged on the scene, where units found a two-story townhome with heavy fire on both floors. The fire was so intense that flames extended to the second floor of a neighboring townhome, according to NDW Central Battalion Chief Kevin Grinder. “Firefighters were met with heavy conditions in the back of
the homes, so we made our entry through the front door,” Grinder said. “The fire was everywhere. It was in the attic, floors and walls.” Because crews made an aggressive interior attack and were able to overcome the high wind conditions outside, firefighters were able to quickly stop the fire and limit its damage to the initial townhome and its neighboring unit – saving the other three townhomes that are part of that row, Grinder said. As it turns out, firefighters weren’t the only ones that sprung into action that day. A sixyear old boy named Chase, who lives with his family at the south end of the five-home complex, smelled smoke and knew right away something was wrong. “I woke up and smelled smoke. Then, all of a sudden, something was burning from outside,” he said. “I woke up everyone in the house. We had to get out of fast.” Chase told his mother, Jamie, who immediately looked out her
bedroom window and saw smoke billowing out of the other homes. She credits her son with getting everyone out safely and alerting the other neighbors. The occupants of the townhomes destroyed by the fire escaped without injury and have been relocated to temporary lodging facilities on JBAB. They are joined by the three other families along that street whose homes were not damaged, but had their utilities shut off as a safety precaution. The American Red Cross is assisting families and JBAB’s Military Family Support Center is serving as their primary point of contact and advocate. Voluntarily given donations of household or clothing items for the families may be taken to the MFSC in Bldg. 13 on Brookley Avenue. Questions regarding donations can be addressed by the MFSC at 202-767-0450. (Joe Cirone contributed to this story)
U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY KEVIN GRINDER
Two townhomes in the Bellevue Housing area were completely gutted by an early morning fire Feb. 18th on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. Occupants of the homes were evacuated by emergency responders and no serious injuries were reported.
Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield on the Horizon for Naval District Washington BY PATRICK GORDON NDW WATERLINE WRITER
U.S. Navy photo by Gin Kai
Naval Support Activity Annapolis conducted a simulated active shooter scenario at the U.S. Naval Academy March 22, 2012, in support of Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield (SC/CS) 2012. SC/CS 2013 exercises in Naval District Washington began Feb. 19 and will continue up to March 1.
OSD tours JBAB, visits mission partners Page 4
WASHINGTON - Personnel in Naval District Washington (NDW) can soon expect to see a familiar change around their bases. Increased security, closed gates, vehicle searches, and other heightened security measures can be expected, and some may be asking what all the trouble is for. But there is no need for worry; it is all part of NDW’s participation in the Navy’s annual Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield (SC/CS) exercise, scheduled for late FebruaryMarch. Since 1999, SC/CS has been a field training exercise in and outside of the continental United States used to test anti-terrorism procedures at the fleet, regional and installation levels. Solid Cur-
INSIDE
Guard members find new ways to save money during Military Saves event Page 5
tain is an exercise focused on command, control, and communication (C3) between all echelons Navy wide. Citadel Shield is an installation-level training exercise that will include active shooter and improvised explosive device drills. “Citadel Shield will basically be installation run exercises or drills,” said Naval Support Activity Washington anti-terrorism officer William Holdren. “Solid Curtain is Navy driven; it is going to be run off of Navy intelligence reports and incidents, increasing the force protection conditions and how we react, all the way through reporting procedures up to Fleet Forces.” Holdren explained that SC/CS is an effective means of not only training personnel, but creating a
Bradley Cooper delivers message of hope to wounded warriors Page 6
safe training environment where other personnel can familiarize themselves with emergency procedures. “First and foremost, Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield gives us the opportunity to exercise our antiterrorism plan. It allows us to develop, and then test, our anti-terrorism plan so that we know that it works correctly,” said Holdren. “So this is a very big deal, especially from an anti-terrorism perspective. But in addition to allowing anti-terrorism forces, police and naval security forces an opportunity to exercise, it also gives everybody on the installations that glimpse into what would happen should we have to increase force protection condition measures.”
See EXERCISE, Page 5