Photo By Tech. Sgt. Sara Kolinski | Staff Sgt. Jesse Poulsen, 142nd Civil Engineering Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal...... read more read more
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Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians from 14 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units attended Audacious Warrior 2019 here and at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, June 16 - 28, 2019.
Airmen spent approximately half their time at the exercise training on domestic operation responses, which include scenarios such as homemade explosive labs, improvised explosive devices, and conventional ordnance calls.
The comprehensive training has reinforced key skills for the EOD technicians, making them capable responders to stateside emergencies and valuable assets during joint agency responses.
“We have a responsibility to our local government; local law enforcement response,” said Chief Master Sgt. Keith Latarski, 439th Civil Engineering Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight chief. “It could be county or state. We also have to deal with the federal government.”
Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams work with agencies such as the FBI and Homeland Security, as well as state and local police departments by providing manpower and tools.
“We’ll help them when needed,” said Latarski. “If there are military ordnance calls for us off base, we’ll handle that. By calling us to the scene most law enforcement agencies and public safety bomb squads are aware that we are going to show up with a full complement of equipment, and we are going to be able to help them through their situation.”
The teams can either assist the agencies directly, or handle the problem themselves. EOD Airmen also work with United States Secret Service and the State Department on protection details. In addition to assisting various law enforcement agencies, EOD technicians can assist public safety offices, fire departments, and civilian companies.
“We teach classes on bomb awareness, bomb recognition, and what you could do,” said Latarski. “We could teach those classes to a business if requested, as well as a law enforcement agency.”
Latarski said he believes training at Audacious Warrior 2019 has helped prepare Airmen for operating in the United States by reinforcing the procedures they need to follow while working stateside as opposed to in a deployed environment.
“We operate a little differently in wartime than we do in peacetime,” said Latarski. “We have to keep those skills for peacetime, stateside missions, just as up as we do for wartime missions. They have shown that they have the aptitude, the ability, and the knowledge of their tools to make a response stateside as well as overseas.”
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2019 14:56 |
| Story ID: | 329447 |
| Location: | VOLK FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Airmen reinforce stateside skills, ready for interagency responses, by Randall Burlingame, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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