Photo By Maj. Joseph Trovato | Members of the Wisconsin National Guard's 54th Civil Support Team and the Mount Horeb...... read more read more
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BLUE MOUNDS, Wis. - The Wisconsin National Guard’s 54th Civil Support Team can be called to almost any scenario. From hazardous materials spills, to suspicious luggage or a big football game, the unit stands ready to respond to a diverse set of scenarios.
A Sept. 5 exercise at the Cave of the Mounds National Natural Landmark in Blue Mounds, Wis., prepared them for yet another.
The CST partnered with the Mount Horeb Fire Department as they spent the day honing their skills entering and operating in a confined space. The cave system at Cave of the Mounds — one of Wisconsin’s most popular tourist destinations — provided the perfect natural environment in which the unit could test its abilities.
In the exercise scenario, a family emerges from the cave with respiratory distress, eye, and skin irritation, and an individual remained missing in the cave. First responders called the local hazardous materials team, which reached out to the CST.
The CST was up to the task as it quickly gained awareness of the situation, donned hazard suits and sent its survey team into the cave with a team of firefighters to collect air and water samples and search for victims.
The scenario was another in a series of monthly exercises that helps prepare the full-time joint-service National Guard unit for the multitude of scenarios it could face.
As valuable as the training was, even more important was building a relationship with the Mount Horeb Fire Department, said Lt. Col. David May, the unit’s commander.
“The primary thing that I’ve found is just establishing the relationships,” he said. “By and large, every agency is full of wonderfully competent people. It’s knowing each other on a personal level that gets us together on a scene working together effectively.”
May also said the confined space training Cave of the Mounds provided was an invaluable tool to add to the unit’s repertoire, which generally focuses on chemical, biological, and radiological hazards. Operating in a cave allowed the unit to train on several key competencies while also preparing for a variety of different operating environments.
“There certainly could be natural structures like this, but possibly more realistically an urban environment whether it be a collapsed structure that has been shored up and safe for us to enter or parts of buildings, ventilation shafts, utility pipes, under man-hole covers or things like that,” May said of the real-world applications of training in a cave. “Any kind of space like that could provide a confined space challenge for us.”
But more importantly, establishing a relationship and demonstrating the unit’s abilities to yet another civilian agency was of vital importance for the 54th.
“If they know what kind of technology or equipment we have available that could help solve their problem then they know not only that they need to call us but they know how to call us, and they’re comfortable working with us because they’ve met us before,” May said.
The subterranean environment, with 50-degree temperatures and slick surfaces provided a unique array of challenges for the Guardsmen and firefighters searching the complex in hazard suits. The thick limestone walls also posed communications hurdles, but learning to adjust to situations is an important training tool, said Sgt. Jeremy Smith, a member of the 54th CST’s survey team who entered the cave alongside a firefighter to assess the situation.
“Moving in a smaller, confined environment is always somewhat tricky, and also the communications,” he said. “That was one of the biggest things.”
For Smith, making another connection and building relationships was the most important part of the day.
“We try to do as much outreach as possible,” he said. “We never know as a state asset who and where we’re going to be called by. We’re just here to advise, assist, assess, and identify whatever they need done.”
The 54th CST is a full-time joint Army and Air National Guard unit made up of 22 personnel with backgrounds and training in fields ranging from chemical, biological and radiological threats, to medical, communications, and logistics operations.
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2013 11:21 |
| Story ID: | 113389 |
| Location: | BLUE MOUNDS, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Subterranean ops: CST trains underground at Cave of the Mounds, by MAJ Joseph Trovato, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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