Episode 59 – Kadena AB HazMat Storage Fire After Action Review – Kyle Rollins

In this episode, Matt is joined by Chief Master Sergeant Kyle Rollins to break down the June 2020 Hazardous Materials Storage Facility fire at Kadena Air Base.

Chief Rollins, who served as the Incident Commander, provides a detailed after-action review of a response initiated by Calcium Hypochlorite, a reactive material whose hazards can rapidly escalate when exposed to heat and moisture.

During the discussion they cover the facility conditions and contributing factors leading up to the incident, the initial response, size-up, and decision-making, interoperability and coordination between response agencies and strengths, challenges, and key lessons learned from the event.

The goal of this episode is to share real-world experience so firefighters and leaders can apply these lessons to their own response planning, training, and preparedness–before facing a similar incident themselves.

Official U.S. Air Force Investigation Report