Photo By Tech. Sgt. Andrew Enriquez | Medical team members of the 33rd Civil Support Team, District of Columbia National...... read more read more
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PONCE, Puerto Rico – The District of Columbia National Guard’s 33rd Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team (WMD-CST) conducted specialized response training on incidents simulating hazardous substance surveying of an illicit drug manufacture site and a terror attack scenario involving fourth generation chemical warfare agents in Ponce, Puerto Rico, July 20 - 24, 2025.
The CST supports federal, state, and civil authorities at domestic Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents by identifying CBRN substances, assessing current and projected consequences, advising on response measures, and assisting with requests for additional support. Joining the 33rd were augmentees from other CSTs, a partner federal agency, and a representative from the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Hazardous Materials Unit (EMS HAZMAT).
During the training, survey teams responsible for locating and testing suspicious substances or devices were entering unfamiliar spaces and relying on skills and equipment to complete the mission. Being away from usual settings in the National Capital Region was intended to add value to the training, enhancing the team’s readiness in case of an actual emergency.
“When there’s a real-world (incident), you never know what that’s going to entail– whether it’s a clandestine lab inside of a trailer somewhere or a van just parked out in the middle of a parking lot,” said Capt. Jennifer Woods, CST operations officer. “No matter what, I feel like there's training value added because you can never guess what those terrorists or threats or whoever are going to do to try to harm the public.”
Woods said that due to a very busy operations tempo, the 33rd CST relies heavily on developing partnerships with other CSTs, and in particular the 22nd CST in Puerto Rico.
“Not only is Puerto Rico one of the (CSTs) that comes out to D.C. to support us a lot, but we have an individual on our team who used to live in Puerto Rico and was in the Puerto Rico National Guard before he came here,” Woods said. “So just like with three-letter agencies, it’s building relationships and networking.”
“Relationships are everything, so we try to continually stay in contact with each other,” said
Lt. Ryan Wagner, D.C. Fire and EMS HAZMAT, who participated in the training.
“I think I’ve been able to contribute to this exercise some more real-world scenarios, some different ways to look at things,” Wagner said. “It might not necessarily be the ‘Army’ way, but ‘hey, consider this.’”
He also cites the value of training in Puerto Rico. Partnerships are vital to effectiveness and results.
“The experience is tremendous. You’re away from home so you have that aspect where you’re away from family,” Wagner said. “You spend more time with the other members of the CST and you can build that camaraderie instead of going home at the end of the day and coming back tomorrow morning.”
With the frequent high-profile events the 33rd supports such as Independence Day and the 250th Army Birthday celebration, and National Special Security Events like the Presidential Inauguration or NATO summits, the civil support mission is no-fail.
“You’re supporting all of the major events in D.C., which is pretty cool because you’re a part of history,” Woods said. “But then to also say you could possibly be the first line of defense for an attack, on a small but mighty team– it’s a very cool opportunity.”
Wagner said from his observations in Puerto Rico, the 33rd earns its position on the frontline of domestic response and prevention in the Nation’s Capitol:
“Absolutely, I trust them to be able to perform in case of an emergency.”
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2025 16:42 |
| Story ID: | 544550 |
| Location: | PONCE, PR |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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