CBRN Marines train to clean up HAZMAT

Photo By Sgt. Liah Smuin | Marines with the Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) unit train to assess a casualty during Awareness Consequence Management training aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., May 6. The ACM training is conducted by CBRN once a month to maintain mission readiness. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Liah Kitchen/Released)  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CA, UNITED STATES

05.06.2016

Story by Pfc. Liah Smuin 

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

Marines with the Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN), unit conducted hazardous material training aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, May 2 to 6.

Marines with CBRN spent the week learning how to deal with potentially dangerous HAZMAT situations by attending classes about their equipment practiced applying the skills they learned.

The training was a part of the unit’s monthly Assessment Consequence Management training.

“It’s important to our Marines because operating in suits and operating all of our technology is a really technical skill and if you don’t do it very often, it’ll just disappear,” said Cpl. Jordan Nace, a CBRN defense specialist and a Lititz, Pennsylvania, native. “When we get new Marines to our unit we like to run them through a week of classes about the gear and then do training scenarios for the next week or two to get them feeling comfortable in the gear and to make them feel confident.”

In the course, CBRN Marines went over how to use identification equipment, the proper wear of protective equipment and reconnaissance techniques.

“The nature of our MOS [Military Occupational Specialty] is dealing with everything chemical, biological, and radiological,” said Cpl Jesse Duke, a CBRN defense specialist and a Charlotte, Vermont, native. “So not having this type of training on a regular basis would be detrimental to our readiness as a CBRN platoon and would affect mission accomplishment for any time that we may be needed.”

According to Duke, the training gives Marines the opportunity to be more confident in their abilities and their gear so that when they do go down range, they can do their jobs effectively.

• Date Taken: 05.06.2016
• Date Posted: 05.13.2016 18:58
• Story ID: 198076
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CA, US
• Hometown: SAN DIEGO, CA, US