FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Nearly 100 distinguished visitors representing military, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations toured a selection of Vigilant Guard 2014 training areas May 13 here and in Harrisburg, Pa.
The Pennsylvania National Guard hosted the quarterly exercise bringing together civilian, federal and military resources to react to simulated emergencies such as severe weather, biological disaster, and a train derailment.
“The participants are not role players, these are actual law enforcement officers, actual firefighters, actual paramedics who we would actually be working with in an emergency situation,” said Col. Mark O’Hanlon, chief of staff, Pennsylvania joint task force to dual status commander and a Wallingford, Pa. native.
Approximately 1,700 National Guard service members from eight states, military active duty component from U.S. Northern Command, along with several hundred civilians from state and federal agencies and non-governmental agencies participated.
“We appreciate all of you coming here. This has been several years in planning, and now we’re in the execution phase,” said Maj. Gen. Wesley Craig, the adjutant general of Pennsylvania.
After breakfast and introductory speeches, the visitors broke into three groups touring the four training areas on the itinerary. The first stop was Harrisburg Area Community College’s Public Safety Center where the simulated scenario included a train derailment, which caused an apartment building to collapse.
The group then moved to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters in Harrisburg, Pa., to demonstrate how they coordinate with the National Guard during an emergency.
“You are all participating in a historic exercise. There has never been an exercise like this in Pennsylvania before,” said Glenn Cannon, director of Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
“We have the military working side by side on the same problem with civilian response entities. Every time something bad happens in Pennsylvania, I call on the Guard to support what we’re doing,” he said.
After a catered lunch at the Keystone Conference Center on Ft. Indiantown Gap, the visitors toured the Gap’s new structure collapse facility, where the scenario was an explosion at an industrial facility, which required evacuation and decontamination.
This training paired civilian first responders and firemen with the Virginia National Guard’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package (CERF-P).
“It is essential for the civilian and military disaster relief personnel to know and trust one another and to know the resources each side brings to the table before the disaster strikes,” said Cannon.
“The middle of a disaster is not the place to be exchanging business cards for the first time,” he said.
The final stop was the Joint Forces Command center, where Air Force Maj. Gen. John Murphy, the dual status commander for the Vigilant Guard exercise, spoke to the guests about his unique position. The dual status commander is a new post, created by the Defense Authorization Act of 2012, which allows a single commander, usually from the National Guard, to direct all the military efforts in an emergency situation, such as Hurricane Sandy.
“We have a philosophy in emergency response; you need to have the resources to meet the threat that you’re facing,” said Cannon.
“Hearing that this is the first time Pennsylvania has hosted one of these, and seeing the magnitude of what you’ve put together is very impressive,” said Jeffrey Walker, assistant special agent in charge with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a Philadelphia native.
“It was good to see the resources you have, good to see the training you do,” added Walker.
Walker will report back to the FBI on the assets the National Guard can bring to an emergency situation. If there is a major incident, the FBI would play a role, either support or investigative. If the incident is a criminal attack, the FBI would most likely be the lead federal agency in the response.
The distinguished visitor day was also an opportunity to showcase the abilities of the National Guard. Several elected officials were in attendance, including U.S. Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania’s 15th District.
“The National Guard is a sound investment, guaranteeing the safety of local communities, the states, and the country,” he said.
“The Guard operates extremely effectively, while costing one third less than their active duty counterparts,” added Dent.
“This has been an amazing series of events, and that’s the purpose, to challenge us in ways we didn’t imagine, so when the unimaginable happens, we are prepared,” said Cannon.
The nearly one hundred distinguished visitors who observed the Vigilant Guard training exercise May 13 had the opportunity to see how many different agencies can cooperate to respond effectively to any domestic emergency that could threaten Pennsylvania or the United States.