Photo By Cpl. Justin Malone | The Illinois Army and Air National Guard’s Chemical, Biological,...... read more read more
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The Illinois Army and Air National Guard completed a comprehensive Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package training exercise May 5 in Sparta, Illinois. The exercise focused on enhancing the readiness and capabilities of CERFP units to respond effectively to complex emergency scenarios.
CERFP is comprised of five operational elements staffed by personnel from already established National Guard units. Elements include incident site search of collapsed buildings and structures, conducting rescue tasks to extract trapped casualties, providing mass decontamination, performing medical triage and initial treatment to stabilize patients for transport to medical facilities by the Incident Commander, and the recovery of Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear incident fatalities.
“The mission increased in difficulty as the exercise went on,” said Sgt. 1st Class Paul Bond, Assistant Operations Noncommissioned Officer of the Illinois Army National Guard’s 44th Chemical Battalion out of Macomb. “It gave us the opportunity to crawl, walk, run. I had the chance to learn from others and teach the younger joes. This was a good experience, and we were able to function with confidence.”
Illinois Air Force National Guard Capt. Travis Wilkinson, the officer in charge of the Fatality Search and Recovery Team, emphasized the importance of exercising to maintain readiness.
"A lot of the skills are perishable, and if you don't get that muscle memory back, should the call come and we have to respond to a hurricane, tornado, or a man-made event, we want to be able to be lock step together as a joint force from the Army and Air Force side."
Participants praised the exercise for providing valuable learning experiences and enhancing their ability to respond effectively to real-world emergencies.
"Experiences like this are incredibly important for operational readiness,” said Army 1st lt. Andrew Martin, Protection Branch Chief and Safety Officer working with command and control. “Without this training, I would not have been nearly as prepared as I needed to be to perform these types of tasks in the real world. I showed up brand new but by the end of the exercise, I feel like I have a really good handle on things."
For more information on joining the Army National Guard please visit https://www.nationalguard.com/illinois.
| Date Taken: | 05.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2024 20:30 |
| Story ID: | 472805 |
| Location: | SPARTA, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | MACOMB, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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