Photo By Master Sgt. Brandy Fowler | U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Catrina Gray, National Guard Bureau region 2...... read more read more
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FORT INDIAN TOWN GAP, Pa. -- Air National Guard (ANG) emergency management (EM) specialists assigned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency region II, gathered here for two weeks of training to reestablish proficiency after more than a year of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions that limited training opportunities, May 16-29, 2021.
Guidelines and restrictions from the Department of Defense and the Center for Disease Control hindered the ability for Airmen to travel for training to maintain currency in their wartime training requirements.
EM specialists are responsible for response and recovery efforts for major accidents, natural disasters, terrorist attacks and Chemical Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents to minimize casualties and damage in the event of one of these emergencies.
“We have had many classes cancelled on us due to COVID,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Debra Infante, EM program manager, National Guard Bureau, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. “ANG EM specialists are offered a fraction of Silver Flag training opportunities. This training was cut back this past year due to COVID and so we had to find an alternate solution to prepare our warfighters.”
Silver Flag training prepares civil engineer Airmen with a deployed venue which simulates a contingency environment, focuses on hands-on technical experience and is available at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Ramstein Air Base, Germany and Tyndall AFB, Florida.
“Fort Indiantown Gap offered a low-cost solution because we leveraged organic talent by having fully-qualified ANG EM specialists instruct the training curriculum,” said Infante. “It all began with EM specialists from the ANG identifying local training deficiencies and needs and now we are beta testing the solutions our National Guardsmen have formulated.”
The 105th Airlift Wing from Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, was selected for the civil engineer Deployment for Training formal program. 105th Civil Engineer Squadron EM Superintendent, Master Sgt. Daniel Dichiara, worked with EM specialists across the region as well as the program and functional managers, to build the framework and training plan.
“Master Sgt. Dichiara meticulously planned this training so our members can accomplish all the task requirements that we do at Silver Flag,” Infante said.
Infante and Dichiara said that all the coordination required to write and administer this contingency wartime training, flowed through Headquarters Air Force, the EM career field manager and the force development manager at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center.
“This is not only a benchmark for EM specialists exercising the Silver Flag waiver authority, but also a way to maximize ANG training opportunities and be effective as possible,” Infante explained.
Classes are being taught by craftsmen and superintendents within the ANG EM career field including CBRN and HAZMAT operations using standardized Air Force training curriculum and is overseen by a team of validators, Infante explained.
“We have members of the National Guard Bureau EM cadre rotating in and out for spot corrections, ensuring training meets intent and upholding standards,” Infante said.
The planning team also saw an opportunity to use this time to accomplish required career upgrade training for Airmen and spent countless hours creating a schedule to maximize results for the two-week time frame.
“All the students have demonstrated proficiency in approximately 164 upgrade training items and 53 proficiency training requirements required in the Career Field Training and Education Plan for EM specialists,” said Senior Master Sgt. Catrina Gray, EM chief enlisted manager and region II ANG EM chief, assigned to the 107th Attack Wing from Niagara Falls, New York. “The Airmen on this team have done a great job and are owning this training.”
The training includes a multitude of areas of responsibility to include HAZMAT and CBRN awareness and operations as well as CBRN-Information Systems; a computer-based application integrating CBRN data and facilitates sensor information into command and control systems for situational awareness.
“We have to be proficient in doing site surveys, map reading, manual plotting and land navigation in this career field,” said Staff Sgt. Francisco Viera Periera, EM craftsman assigned to the 106th Civil Engineer Squadron from Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York. “This has been a great opportunity to come together as a region, train as one team and learn new tricks and tips from different units. It’s been really beneficial.”
The planning team for the event along with the validators and management team from NGB, praised the ability to implement the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown, Jr’s. strategic approach, Accelerate Change or Lose.
“Our adversaries are changing and how we fight wars is changing,” said Chief Master Sgt. Noah Flick, ANG EM career field functional manager at NGB.
“These are multi-capable Airman and are accelerating change within their career field. Emergency managers here will take away these benchmark processes that ANG Airmen worked so hard to create and for others to follow.”
| Date Taken: | 05.28.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.28.2021 15:23 |
| Story ID: | 397734 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 432 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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