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Join us for a special event in collaboration with Atlantic Pacific International Rescue, featuring Chiba Yoshihiro, captain of the Ōfunato City Fire Brigade in Iwate Prefecture.
A fishing city on the Pacific coastline of northeastern Japan, Ōfunato was devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake which struck the Tōhoku region on March 11, 2011. This 9.0-magnitude earthquake was the most powerful ever recorded in Japan’s history. The earthquake triggered a massive tsunami, with waves reaching heights of up to 40 meters, causing immense destruction, loss of life, and widespread displacement. In the wake of the disaster, Japanese emergency services, including firefighters like Chiba, led extensive rescue and recovery efforts, supported by international search and rescue teams from countries including the UK.
During the event, Chiba shares his firsthand experiences, providing valuable insights into the emergency response, cleanup, and recovery operations that followed. The event also includes a presentation by Sean Moore, former National Coordinator for the UK International Search and Rescue Team, who contributed to the international relief efforts. Following the presentations, both speakers discuss the challenges and successes of international disaster recovery collaboration, reflecting on the lessons from 2011 and recent collaborative initiatives to enhance disaster preparedness.
About the speaker
Chiba Yoshihiro
Chiba Yoshihiro has been a firefighter since 1993, with 32 years of experience in fire, emergency, and rescue operations, becoming an emergency medical technician in 2008. He founded a local lifesaving club in 2003 and, since 2005, he has served as a Red Cross instructor, promoting first aid courses and water accident response. After training in the U.S. for disaster preparedness in 2010, he participated in rescue operations during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and collaborated with international teams to carry out rescue activities. In 2021, he established a water rescue team. Currently, he trains firefighters, passing on his extensive knowledge and experience from the earthquake and other emergencies.
Sean Moore
Sean Moore served for over 30 years as a UK Fire and Rescue Service Officer, and has a wealth of experience in national and international resilience, fire and rescue operations, and emergency planning. He was a founding member of the UK International Search and Rescue Team (UK ISAR), serving as the National Coordinator and also Emergency Medical Logistics team lead. During this time, he responded to major disasters globally, including in Iraq, Iran, US, Turkey, Indonesia, Haiti, New Zealand, Japan and Nepal. He has held leadership roles in humanitarian and capacity-building projects worldwide and worked with the UN INSARAG on international policy and training development. Sean continues to work as a trainer and advisor specializing in disaster and emergency response training and evaluation.
About Atlantic Pacific International Rescue
Atlantic Pacific’s mission is to combat global drowning through search and rescue, education and training, community outreach, and by designing sea safety solutions. The organization’s roots trace back to the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, in which 15,000 lives were lost. In 2016, they established Japan’s first volunteer-run lifeboat service in Nebama Bay, Kamaishi, an area severely damaged by the tsunami. The program continues to evolve, with plans to create a sea safety centre where people from Japan and beyond can train in search and rescue, first aid, and disaster preparedness. For more, visit their website.
Image: The Japanese crew in Nebama Bay, Kamaishi, an area severely damaged by the tsunami, undertake repairs to the Hahn 001, a lifeboat built in Wales in 2016 as part of Atlantic Pacific’s Lifeboat in a Box project. © Laura Lewis, 2019
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