Photo By Staff Sgt. Anthony Jones | Soldiers of the 63rd Civil Support Team, Oklahoma National Guard train with members of...... read more read more
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VERDIGRIS, Okla. - Soldiers dressed in hazardous materials suits sift through a suspected chemical lab while firefighters, wearing their own protective equipment closely watch nearby.
The two groups are part of a large training exercise focused on building relationships between the 63rd Civil Support Team and its first responder counterparts in the Tulsa, Okla., area.
The training event began with a mock chemical leak at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa and led the joint law enforcement team to a simulated terrorist camp near Verdigris, Okla.
“These are the guys we will respond with if something happens,” said Sgt. Warren Williams, survey and analytical team chief, 63rd CST, about the dozens of firefighters and police officers working the scene with his team. “They are the ones who will be calling us for further assistance, so it is good to have a face-to-face to build a working relationship with these guys and be able to integrate seamlessly.”
Several large organizations planned the three-day event. Oklahoma State University - University Multispectral Laboratories, Davis Defense Group and multiple first responder agencies from across the northeast Tulsa area participated in the joint exercise last week.
First responder agencies included Rogers County Emergency Response, Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa Fire Department, Verdigris Fire Department, Tulsa Bomb Squad, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, 63rd CST and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
The 63rd CST is part of a national program of federally funded state operated teams tasked with responding to a weapon of mass destruction attack on American soil. The program began in 1998. Each state has at least one team with all teams organized into specific response regions across the United States.
“This type of training is invaluable,” said Sean Hagerty, a trainer with Davis Defense Group. “The lessons learned from this will carry forth into real-world response with things like what we’ve seen with the natural disasters here in Oklahoma in the last few months.”
Each phase of the training tested the responders in their individual skills. As the initial call came about a suspected chemical leak at the Port of Catoosa, firefighters rushed to the scene and began setting up chemical decontamination sites, providing assistance to the security guards who simulated exposure to hazardous materials.
Once the Tulsa Fire Department determined the threat was larger than what they could handle, they coordinated through the incident command center to have the 63rd CST, with its specialized chemical detection equipment and HAZMAT trained Soldiers, analyze the site.
Maj. Gerald Mastin, deputy commander of the CST, said the exercise shows local first responders what assets the CST brings to the table and demonstrates how they can request the unit’s presence.
“One of the things our partners hadn’t realized before we started was if they need us, how they get us.” Mastin, a resident of Stillwater, Okla., said. “They have to go through their emergency manager to the state emergency manager and the Governor, who makes the decision to deploy us.”
Another lesson the joint force learned was the CST does not become the task force lead after responding. The team provides assistance to the local incident commander and becomes another asset for the civilian agencies.
The second morning of the training scenario kicked off with a notional raid by police who discovered several chemical and bomb making sites on a suspect’s property. The Tulsa Bomb Squad moved in with a bomb disposal robot and bomb technicians to render the improvised explosive devices littering the compound inoperable while Tulsa and Verdigris Fire Departments set up decontamination sites and support areas for the CST.
“Communication carried the day,” Sean Hagerty, a trainer with Davis Defense Group said. “Sometimes communication is founded on nothing more than relationships between people in the organizations and that carries the day every time.”
But communication can be a challenge between agencies that aren’t used to working together and at times Soldiers and firefighters could be seen running from truck to truck; command post to command post to pass information about changes in intelligence and operations.
Mastin said it is important for these issues to develop during this training event so the agencies understand how to work around problems. “We are trying to challenge ourselves and our partners here,” Mastin said.
The communication challenge did not stop the mission. After the bomb squad gave word the area was safe, leaders created a plan to send in the CST’s survey team to determine what types of dangerous chemicals were present in the compound, while Tulsa firefighters provided emergency evacuation support.
The six survey team members, outfitted in protective gear, moved through the area testing the air inside and out of several mobile homes, which had improvised chemical laboratories. Each lab had a different hazard, ranging from methamphetamines to toxic chemical production.
After surveying the area and relaying the information to the incident command the soldiers walked out of the compound and were ushered through a chemical decontamination site operated by the Tulsa Fire Department Hazardous Materials unit.
The exercise focuses on teamwork and the soldiers of the CST feel they performed their roles to standard.
“Our job gives the decision makers something to work with.” Williams said. “Without our eyes on, without our analysis, they can’t make a plan to fix this. These training events are always worst case scenario and that prepares us for any obstacle.”
| Date Taken: | 06.21.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2013 14:01 |
| Story ID: | 109368 |
| Location: | VERDIGRIS, OK, US |
| Hometown: | MUSKOGEE, OK, US |
| Hometown: | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, US |
| Hometown: | STILLWATER, OK, US |
| Hometown: | VERDIGRIS, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 190 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, National Guard Trains with First Responders in Chemical Emergency Response, by SSG Anthony Jones, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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