SALEM, Ore. -- The Oregon cities of Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon partnered with Oregon State University and the Oregon National Guard’s 102nd Civil Support Team near Cauthorn Hall on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Ore., Aug. 31, to test emergency response skills and resources.
The 102 CST is a unit of approximately 22 full-time Army and Air National Guard members based in Salem designed to be rapidly mobilized anywhere in Oregon to assist local civil authorities. The specialized team uses detection and analysis capabilities for chemical, biological or nuclear incidents.
Their goal is to minimize the impact on the civilian population and facilitate requests for emergency and military support by civil authorities.
“The CST is not only a resource of the Oregon National Guard it is also a resource for the first responder community across the state,” said the 102 CST Commander Wyatt Welch.
Welch said that communication is the key so that each agency understands their strengths and weaknesses, and can work more efficiently as a team.
“We don’t get everybody together in one place very often and we all are always looking to make it happen,” Rau said.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Service Planner Erik Rau said the training was a great opportunity.
Cpt. Gregory Ramirez, a medical operations officer with 102 CST, said the training showed interagency collaboration and cooperation can be efficient in an emergency response environment.
“The incident command structure dictates our role in the incident response and we are ready to be subject matter experts for the incident commander if necessary,” he said.
Corvallis Fire Department Division Chief, Douglas Bailey, who does planning and administration for Corvallis, Lebanon, and Albany emergency response said it is important be ready to respond to possible emergencies.
“Working with other agencies makes everyone more prepared,” he said.