Photo By Staff Sgt. Cesar Salazar Jr. | U.S. Soldiers and Airmen with the Wisconsin Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear...... read more read more
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VOLK FIELD, Wis. — More than 200 U.S. Soldiers and Airmen with the Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Enhanced Response Force Package (CERF-P), Wisconsin National Guard, were assessed, evaluated, and validated on their emergency response capabilities during their biannual external evaluation here June 23-27.
The Wisconsin CERF-P is a highly specialized joint Army and Air National Guard unit with six components; Army elements composed of command and control, search and extraction, and decontamination, and Air Force elements composed of medical, fatality search and recovery, and joint incident site communications capability.
The unit's primary mission is to rapidly deploy in, respond to, and assist local authorities with chemical biological radiological nuclear and natural disasters, should the need arise.
The National Guard Bureau (NGB) uses the CERF-P exercise as an overall assessment and validation of each of the unit’s individual components’ readiness to respond to emergencies.
“This exercise is our external evaluation,” said U.S. Army Capt. Andrea L. Ackerman, the deputy commander of CERF-P. “This is an opportunity for NGB to come out and evaluate us on our training and evaluation outlines, so that dictates whether we are able to respond within the timeline that we are required to respond in.”
According to Ackerman, the external evaluation exercise is set on a five-day model. Soldiers and Airmen perform their roles during simulated emergency responses in the first days, by which they are observed and coached by NGB staff with feedback and on-the-spot training. The exercise culminates on the fifth day; Soldiers and Airmen participate in a final simulated emergency and are evaluated on their performance and response by components and as a whole unit.
“Overall, I thought it was a really great exercise,” Ackerman said. “We were out here for quite a few days this week. I loved to see the team come together and really pull off some things that maybe we didn't think were possible in the beginning, but we really got to see them grow and execute. I think it's really a testament to the hard work and dedication to the mission and to supporting the state of Wisconsin.”
“The mission here is to help folks in what would be a really disastrous situation,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Zachary Morris, a medical internist with CERF-P. “Our role, and my specific role as a medical provider, is as they come down range that they are stabilized, cleaned off, decontaminated to help medically assess them and then stabilize them and provide medical care and then deliver them onto ambulances who will take them to hospitals for further treatment and assessment.”
According to Morris, the medical component can provide medical care similar to emergency rooms or intensive care units, if needed.
“We have a fantastic team here of multiple different doctors, nurses, and medics,” Morris said. “The team has really been working well together, and I think providing great care in what would be a really difficult situation.”
Morris added that while it’s difficult to capture the gravity of an emergency response scenario with training, the exercise managers did a good job simulating the situation with hired role-players sustaining mock injuries and requiring the medical teams to provide realistic simulated care.
“While I hope we never see a day where we are needed, I think these types of exercises are really critical so that if we are needed, we are ready,” Morris said.
The Soldiers and Airmen of CERF-P were able to get hands-on experience using their equipment with the realistic scenarios that they might not get outside of the exercise.
“For CERF-P, the training for us is getting familiarized with what we're going to be doing and what we're going to come up against,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Lehman, a search and extraction squad leader with CERF-P. “A big thing was getting familiar with the hazmat suits; how to move around, being able to be efficient but also get the job done.”
Lehman’s squad focuses on recovering and directing ambulatory victims in an exclusion zone. Their role also provides direct reconnaissance from down range to the command and control post with information on what hazards and contamination the unit is up against, in order to provide a better response and treatment.
“This is going to broaden the spectrum of being able to aid in any way we possibly can and being efficient and very hyper focused on what we're doing,” Lehman said. “In hindsight, it's going to prolong our efficiency and aid in how fast we can respond with getting [in these] repetitions.”
The CERF-P was given a go and certified to respond to emergencies and disasters by NGB evaluators, according to Ackerman.
“This allows our state leadership to have the confidence and ability to know that when we have a state of emergency, or there's a state of emergency within our region or even outside our region, that they are sending a certified and qualified team out the door and that we can respond regardless of the scenario,” Ackerman said.
“Nobody wants to have a disaster type of situation, whether it's a natural disaster or an act of war or an accident, but these things happen,” Morris said. “It's important that we have a group that's prepared to respond here. I think it's a really critical part of disaster relief and response for our nation and for our state.”
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.30.2025 15:21 |
| Story ID: | 501831 |
| Location: | VOLK FIELD, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 307 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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