3rd Civil Support Team’s mobile laboratory

Photo By 1st Sgt. HollyAnn Nicom | Capt. Jake Derivan, with the 3rd Civil Support Team, Pennsylvania National Guard, utilizes the Class III Glove Box onboard the analytical laboratory system during training at the combined arms collective training facility on Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., May 14, 2014. The machine protects environmental science officers against pathogenic agents while they safely research chemical and biological substances.  

ANNVILLE, PA, UNITED STATES

05.13.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. HollyAnn Nicom 

109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Pennsylvania National Guard’s 3rd Civil Support Team used their highly-equipped analytical laboratory system to augment the Florida National Guard 48th Civil Support Team at the combined arms collective training facility located here May 14, 2014.

Civil support training teams from across the country attended training at the combined arms collective training facility, a training area containing buildings, which housed staged chemical and biological situations, all possibly encountered during a hazardous incident.

The CST Soldiers navigated the labyrinth of rooms to retrieve samples of potentially hazardous solids and liquids. Once retrieved, members within the analytical laboratory system analyze the samples.

Capt. Jake Dervian, environmental scientist with the 3rd CST, serves within the ALS as the nuclear medical science officer, where he analyzes samples collected by the survey section for hazardous locations.

For this particular training, the analytical laboratory system truck deployed to the simulated site in support of another National Guard CST during their training. “We are supporting Florida’s mission today here at the combined arms collective training facility,” said Derivan, a resident of Harrisburg, Pa., speaking on the use of the analytical laboratory system. “Their survey section would take the samples and forward them to us; we process them, give them information back and ultimately they can disseminate that information to the incident commander.”

The equipment within the analytical laboratory system vehicle is just as well equipped as many brick and mortar laboratories.


Another machine is used to identify unknown chemicals.

“What that does is uses an infrared spectrum directed at whatever we’re looking at to get a fingerprint on the sample, which is another way for us to characterize a chemical threat,” explained Derivan.

“Our gas chromatography mass spectrometry basically fragments chemical compounds,” continued Derivan. “It gives us a fingerprint of the chemical and that is a very powerful analytical technique. It’s the one you always see on TV in the background,” he said with a smile.

The Vigilant Guard exercise is designed to test the abilities of the National Guard to work with other state departments, federal agencies, and first responders during domestic operations.

“We train all the time. Vigilant Guard is a statewide event and it’s a great way to spin the wheels between the different agencies. There are 57 [CST] teams in all the states and territories across the country, but we do back each other up like what we’re doing with Florida here today,” said Derivan.

• Date Taken: 05.13.2014
• Date Posted: 05.20.2014 14:00
• Story ID: 130489
• Location: ANNVILLE, PA, US