News>Ellsworth Airmen participate in joint service training
Photos
(Left) Staff Sgt. Danny Oaks gets help removing his chemical protective suit during a joint training mission Nov. 4, 2010, in Rapid City, S.D. The joint training included members from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., the South Dakota National Guard and the Rapid City Fire Department. Sergeant Oaks is an 82nd Civil Support Team survey team member. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Anthony Sanchelli)
Staff Sgt. Danny Oaks, waits while Army Sgt. 1st Class Marcia Hento removes his chemical protective suit during a joint training mission with Ellsworth Air Force Base, the South Dakota National Guard and the Rapid City Fire Department Nov. 4, 2010, in Rapid City, S.D. The training focused on responding to a simulated chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological or explosive incident involving a community transit bus. Sergeant Oaks is an 82nd Civil Support Team survey team member and Sergeant Hento is the 82nd CST decontamination and logistics NCO. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Anthony Sanchelli)
Airman 1st Class Matthew Hung puts on a chemical protection suit while Airman Francheska Rebardi assists him during a joint training mission with members of the Army National Guard and the Rapid City Fire Department Nov. 4, 2010, in Rapid City, S.D. Airmen from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. utilize this training scenario to improve their skills not only with their job but also improve their skills working with other agencies. 28th Civil Engineering Squadron emergency management journeyman, 28 CES emergency management apprentice (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Anthony Sanchelli)
by Airman 1st Class Jarad A. Denton
28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
11/15/2010 - ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. (AFNS) -- Airmen here participated in joint-service, multiagency training in Rapid City, S.D., Nov. 4.
The training focused on responding to a simulated chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive incident involving a community transit bus.
Airmen from the 28th Bomb Wing worked closely with the South Dakota National Guard 82nd Civil Support Team, as well as the Rapid City Fire Department and various civilian agencies, to assess and properly handle the incident. The top priority for everyone was the safety of all the simulated casualties on the bus.
Air Force Maj. Dale Gadbois, the 82nd CST operations officer, said the ability for all the agencies to come together and work as a team was invaluable.
"You want to meet each other and train together before a real incident occurs," he said. "It's good to know the capabilities of other agencies, so we can improve our overall response time. The quicker we can act, the more lives we save."
In order to properly assess the situation, Airmen from the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron and 28th Medical Operations Squadron donned protective gear and began checking the area for contamination. Throughout the exercise, the importance of cross training was constantly stressed.
"We're learning how to work with organizations from Rapid City, as well as the 82nd CST," said Airman Francheska Rebardi, a 28th CES emergency management apprentice. "By integrating with everyone involved it helps us to be more effective."
Airmen also trained with the South Dakota Department of Health.
Pat VanHunnik, the Region 1 coordinator of preparedness and response, said this type of training is extremely important when evaluating the responses by various organizations. Through constant training, a professional rapport is developed that leads to a fluid and accurate response to emergency situations.
"We try to prepare ahead of time for these types of scenarios, and learn as much as we can during the training," Mr. VanHunnik said. "How we respond in training is just as important as how we respond during an actual incident."
