after being notified) and arrived 15 minutes later (at 0234) at the gate to the pipeline/VOR access road (which was the only vehicle ground access to the accident site).
The Federal Fire Department's Station No. 5, located on Nimitz Hill 1 mile away from the accident site, was the nearest fire station.[1] GFD communications center logs indicated that the federal dispatch facility was notified of the accident at 0207, but the federal dispatch facility records indicated that notification was received at 0234 and that Engine No. 5 arrived at the scene at 0239.
The Chief of Staff, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Marianas, who was also the wife of the airport director, testified during the public hearing that she first became aware of the crash after an airport official called her husband at 0216 to report that a Korean Air 747 was missing over the Nimitz Hill area. The Chief of Staff went outside and observed a "bright orange glow" in the sky. She then notified the Navy Security Office and Command Duty Officer to activate the Navy's "first responders," search and rescue assets, and hospital mass casualty units.
The GFD incident on-scene commander (OSC) told investigators that he arrived at the accident site about 0234 and proceeded down the access road toward the wreckage. The access road to the site--a narrow (one-lane) dirt and stone road with a drainage ditch on both sides--had been blocked by a section of damaged oil pipe. The pipe, which was located next to the road and elevated about 3 feet, was removed 1 hour later by a truckmounted winch after efforts to remove it by hand were unsuccessful. According to GFD documents, Engine No. 7 became stuck in mud when the driver tried to maneuver around the oil pipe obstruction. The GFD chief stated that, once the broken pipeline had been removed and the fire truck had been towed out of the mud (about 0345), no further blockages of the access road were reported.
In a postaccident interview and at the Safety Board's public hearing, the OSC testified that he and other rescue personnel abandoned their vehicles and approached the accident site on foot. The OSC indicated that he and the rescue personnel carried flashlights, rope, and a trauma kit. The OSC stated that he heard people screaming and could see small areas of fire. The OSC said that the darkness and terrain made access to the accident site difficult.
The OSC stated, "we had to go across all types of vegetation, sword grass, all types of trees...it was very rough getting down to the crash site, especially with no light whatsoever but flashlight alone...we had to deal with all kinds of bugs down there, snakes...we tried to pull out the survivors the best way we could and from what we received in fire-fighting training." The OSC also stated that
- ↑ The Federal Fire Department's Station No. 5 is responsible for providing fire protection to U.S. Naval facilities on Guam.
