By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Robert Stirrup, Commander, Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs
PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Naval Station (NAVSTA) Pearl Harbor's Emergency Operations Center Incident Management Team along with the Hawaii Army National Guard's 93rd Civil Support Team (CST) held a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) exercise on historic Ford Island March 25.
The event was held to help train and assess Naval Security Forces, Federal Fire Department, Emergency Operations Center, and the 93rd CST for preparation in case of real world events.
"It's important to make sure that all personnel involved know how to react to these scenarios in case a real world event does happen," said Ray Toves, exercise director of the event.
Different elements of the drill included manning decontamination stations, conducting tests on the CBRNE agents, among others.
Personnel assigned to NAVSTA Pearl Harbor Security's canine detachment played one of the largest roles in the event, finding multiple CBRNE agents while searching the premises with military working dogs.
"I think that we performed well during the exercise," said Master-At-Arms 2nd Class Jeye Pena, assigned to NAVSTA Pearl Harbor Security's canine detachment. "All of our training with the dogs pays dividends as we found all of the CBRNE agents that were planted."
Having great teamwork between more than 65 personnel was a huge factor in helping the drill run smoothly.
"It's very important for everyone to be on the same page for events like this," said Cmdr. Lawrence Hill, NAVSTA Pearl Harbor's executive officer and training team leader for the drill. "We've had great communication between all of our different stations making the drill run without a hitch."
Toves noted that personnel spend many days planning and training for an event like this.
"Planning an event this large can take range from 90 days to six months," said Toves. "Personnel spend at least two months constantly training for these types of drills."
Ensuring the team would be ready to respond in case of an actual casualty in the area is key to the maritime strategy.
"We train very well here at Pearl Harbor for scenarios like these, and I have complete confidence that we will perform exactly the way we train if an actual casualty does happen," said Hill.
Showing posts with label Civil Support Team. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Civil Support Team. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Disaster Preparedness Exercise Trains 500 Guardsmen in Puerto Rico
By Army Staff Sgt. S. Patrick McCollum, Special to American Forces Press Service
PONCE, Puerto Rico - An underwater earthquake triggers a tsunami as a terrorist cell is discovered producing dangerous chemicals. If there was a time to call the National Guard, this is it.
Fortunately, these scenarios are only a simulation at Vigilant Guard 2009, an exercise under way here that tests the capabilities of more than 500 Guard members from five states and territories to handle disasters and cooperate with federal, state and local partners.
The two scenarios are the main focus of the exercise. In the first, which began yesterday and ends today, Guard members from the civil support teams of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico assist civil authorities in identifying and containing chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. The teams take turns arriving on the scene of a nonfunctioning oil refinery, stocked with suspected weapons of mass destruction by the 35th CST from West Virginia.
In the other scenario occurring today, Guard members from the Puerto Rico National Guard and Arizona Air National Guard Expeditionary Medical Support systems will assist in casualty evacuation and treatment in field hospitals.
"To be part of an exercise of this magnitude is an honor and exciting," said Capt. Aesha Rivers, acting commander of the 23rd CST from the Virgin Islands. "It's great to be able to come here in their home to help."
In the real-world-scenario feel of Vigilant Guard, Rivers saw the opportunity to help a neighbor in need, and with that the implied promise of help in return.
"If we have an incident in the Virgin Islands, we will call 22nd CST out of Puerto Rico," Rivers said. "We will call Florida. We will call Georgia. Those are our sister and brother states."
For the Guard members of Puerto Rico's 22nd CST, the exercise is a chance to improve upon training that so far has involved few of these large-scale exercises.
"This training is ... important for us," Army Staff Sgt. Edwin Rosa, a team chief with the 23rd CST from Puerto Rico, said. "It's realistic, and we will learn from this experience."
PONCE, Puerto Rico - An underwater earthquake triggers a tsunami as a terrorist cell is discovered producing dangerous chemicals. If there was a time to call the National Guard, this is it.
Fortunately, these scenarios are only a simulation at Vigilant Guard 2009, an exercise under way here that tests the capabilities of more than 500 Guard members from five states and territories to handle disasters and cooperate with federal, state and local partners.
The two scenarios are the main focus of the exercise. In the first, which began yesterday and ends today, Guard members from the civil support teams of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico assist civil authorities in identifying and containing chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. The teams take turns arriving on the scene of a nonfunctioning oil refinery, stocked with suspected weapons of mass destruction by the 35th CST from West Virginia.
In the other scenario occurring today, Guard members from the Puerto Rico National Guard and Arizona Air National Guard Expeditionary Medical Support systems will assist in casualty evacuation and treatment in field hospitals.
"To be part of an exercise of this magnitude is an honor and exciting," said Capt. Aesha Rivers, acting commander of the 23rd CST from the Virgin Islands. "It's great to be able to come here in their home to help."
In the real-world-scenario feel of Vigilant Guard, Rivers saw the opportunity to help a neighbor in need, and with that the implied promise of help in return.
"If we have an incident in the Virgin Islands, we will call 22nd CST out of Puerto Rico," Rivers said. "We will call Florida. We will call Georgia. Those are our sister and brother states."
For the Guard members of Puerto Rico's 22nd CST, the exercise is a chance to improve upon training that so far has involved few of these large-scale exercises.
"This training is ... important for us," Army Staff Sgt. Edwin Rosa, a team chief with the 23rd CST from Puerto Rico, said. "It's realistic, and we will learn from this experience."
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