PHOTOS: Portland Fire & Rescue is hosting a group of firefighters from Tokyo that is here to learn about how to respond in the event of a volcanic eruption.
Mount Fuji is still an active volcano and is located just two hours southwest of Tokyo – similar to the distance between Mt. St. Helens and Portland.
Local firefighters shared their experiences with ash mitigation. They also visited Cowlitz County Disaster Management and spoke with first responders about their experiences responding to the 1980 eruption. “With a city of 14 million and a very specific, tight infrastructure, it could be devastating to them,” said Rick Graves, a spokesperson with Portland Fire & Rescue. “They wanted to come over here to Portland and learn from our experiences from 1980 along with the changes we've made to allow us to respond to a large-scale natural disaster emergency."