Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Lopez | 191103-N-TP832-2079 FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. (Nov. 3, 2019) Seabees assigned to...... read more read more
FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. – “Gas! Gas! Gas!” can be heard shouted all throughout camp. There’s no mistaking what needs to be done for Seabees who hear the call or see the smoke in the air.
Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 successfully completed the certification to defend against and operate in a chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) environment during a field training exercise (FTX) at Fort Hunter Liggett, Nov. 7.
Instructors and evaluators from the Naval Construction Training Center’s CBR-D School came to the forward operating base to challenge the battalion with several different chemical attack scenarios. These scenarios included attacks on the camp as well as vehicle convoys.
During the CBR training phase of the FTX, the battalion is tested on their capability to detect CBR agents, protect against a CBR attack, decontaminate personnel and equipment, operate in a contaminated environment, and diagnose and treat patients suffering from a CBR agent. Seabees have been training and preparing for this evolution with their fleet response training plan
“As a NMCB, we have to be ready to go anywhere in the world we’re called to,” said Lt. Jg. Colten Lybbert, from Glendale, Ariz., NMCB-3’s CBR officer. “There are many adversaries out there who have CBR weapon capabilities and therefore, we need to be ready to defend ourselves in case we’re in a situation where the enemy has the capability and opportunity to use these weapons against us.”
To make the training as realistic as possible, tear gas canisters were activated throughout the camp in surprise attacks to simulate chemical agents. Early warning alarms sounded and smoke from the canisters triggered the Seabees to announce “gas gas gas” in order to alert all personnel to put on their CBR protection gear called Mission Oriented Protected Posture equipment. This equipment includes a chemical protective suit and gas mask. Putting on all of the equipment ensues after setting condition MOPP level 4, which is the highest level of CBR defense; typically set when an attack is imminent or has already occurred. If the gear was not worn properly, the consequences result in coughing and watery eyes from the tear gas.
“When we train in homeport we time ourselves to put on our suits as fast as we can and there’s a sense of urgency there, but that urgency is compounded when we’re here in the field experiencing realistic attacks because it makes us better understand that in a real-world situation, getting your gear on can mean life or death,” said Lybbert.
Aside from personal protection and accountability of the camp, if a vehicle convoy came under attack the CBR team would assemble to immediately determine the location of the attack and prepare to decontaminate personnel and equipment. Seabees will locate an open area near the convoy and an upwind and downwind team will test that area for contaminates before the rest of the Seabees can move in. If the area is clear of contaminates, the Seabees will use this spot to conduct the decontamination procedures.
It begins with bringing each vehicle into the area one-at-a-time and taking custody of the contaminated personnel’s weapons. Next, one team will take custody of the vehicle and thoroughly sanitize the vehicle inside and out. An adjacent team escorts the contaminated personnel to a MOPP gear exchange point where they will help these members change into clean MOPP gear so that they could be safe from contaminates and continue on with their mission.
Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Amiel Cunanan was a member of the downwind team and said that homeport training made the evolution feel like muscle memory to him despite the high stress scenarios of the FTX and weather conditions.
“We were all tired and sleep deprived from everything that a FTX throws at us, but we had a good team with everyone wanting to do their part,” said Cunanan. “Our members weren’t afraid of the responsibility and they did exactly what they needed to do when they were asked. Everyone stepped up without complaint and it made the whole experience with that team great despite the heat from the sun and the gear.”
Evaluators debriefed the CBR team on their performance after each attack with the intent for Seabees to learn from their mistakes and become increasingly proficient moving forward.
NMCB-3 is home-ported in Port Hueneme, California. Seabees are the expeditionary engineering and construction experts of the Naval service. They provide task-tailored, adaptable and combat-ready engineering and construction forces that deploy to support global Navy objectives.
For more information about Seabees and NMCB-3, visit http://seabeemagazine.navylive.dodlive.mil or https://www.facebook.com/NMCB3/
| Date Taken: | 11.11.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2019 18:09 |
| Story ID: | 352065 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 349 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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