| 52nd CST responds to mock chemical attack |
WALBRIDGE, Ohio - Soldiers and Airmen from the Ohio National Guard’s 52nd Civil Support Team rushed into action Feb. 5 after five people were “killed” when a disgruntled employee turned terrorist hijacked, then crash landed, a cargo airplane full of radioactive isotopes and broke them open on the plane and later on a bus. The simulated incident involving members the 52nd was part of an external evaluation scenario run by U.S. Army North evaluators. These evaluations are critical to ensure the unit performs no differently in a real situation, should it occur, than it does in training, said Lt. Col. David E. Seitz, 52nd CST commander. The evaluation was comprised of several parts. Once the unit received the 5:05 a.m. alert to deploy to the incident, the members had 90 minutes to be on the scene. Upon arrival, they had an additional 90 minutes to set up all their equipment at the edge of the contamination area. Team members then set out to gather information about the site and the hazardous materials present. While they were gathering information, evaluators further challenged them by designating one of their members a “casualty,” who then had to be extracted from the site. “We are looking to see how efficiently they operate,” said Jay Norris, a U.S. Army North evaluator. Operating efficiently included things such as tactics, techniques, doctrine and procedure, he said. To maintain their certification, the unit is required to pass an external evaluation every 18 months, Seitz said. The evaluation shows the unit’s strengths and weaknesses as well as providing an indication of its readiness, Norris said. Although the unit received a no-notice call to respond to the incident, they were far from unprepared. Each member completes about 1,000 hours of additional training to be in this unit, said Brig. Gen. Jack E. Lee, commander of the 73rd Troop Command, the team’s parent unit. “I felt really prepared,” Senior Airman Aaron Blaine said. “I don’t think we could have done anything else to be more prepared.” Owens Community College hosted the evaluation at its training center in Walbridge, and the site was praised by the evaluators and the command. “This is the best training area in the state of Ohio,” Lee said. -30- |
