9th CST brings expertise, sense of purpose to disaster response: Universal Studios lends realistic setting to jet crash, radiation leak drill

Members of the California National Guard's Los Alamitos-based 9th Civil Support Team prepare to survey the wreckage of a simulated plane crash at Universal Studios Hollywood April 8. The survey team found dangerous radiation levels at the site, where a health care company had used radioactive isotopes to make products used in medical tests.

 LOS ANGELES - Six men in white, protective coveralls, rubber boots and helmets strode in two-man teams through an area of unimaginable destruction, where pieces of exploded jetliner were a normal terrain feature.
 
“I’m picking up a strong neutron emitter in this area,” one said through a breathing apparatus sealed with yellow tape to the coveralls around his face. “I’m getting high readings back here, but it might be reflecting off of that [fuselage].”

At the other end of the plane, a shout rang out.

“Hey! I got something over here,” the Soldier yelled to his teammate, who came shuffling quickly over. “I told you there was a spike over here.”

The two conferred then used complementary devices to take separate readings of the source.

“I need two identifiers for verification,” one said, referring to a handheld radiation-detection device. He was speaking to his teammate and to his incident command post, which was listening in and viewing the readings on their devices. “The reading has been identified,” he said after a five-minute wait for the identifier to complete its analysis: “Charlie. Oscar. Five. Seven. With a confidence of 10.”

Members of the California National Guard's Los Alamitos-based 9th Civil Support Team survey the wreckage of a simulated plane crash at Universal Studios Hollywood April 8. The survey team found dangerous radiation levels at the site, where a health care company had used radioactive isotopes to make products used in medical tests.

Cobalt-57 is a radioactive metal used in medical tests, which is why it’s present at the site of this simulated plane crash, where a notional health care company’s factory once stood. In uncontrolled doses, however, radioactive cobalt can induce nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding. It can lower one’s resistance to infection and cause temporary sterility. Patients may lapse into a coma or die, or they may experience long-term effects in the form of cancer.

 The men and women who go in search of substances like cobalt-57 aren’t your regular Soldiers and Airmen. They are highly-educated, driven, detail-oriented and physically fit. They are solid leaders, team members and communicators. They are courageous enough to stare a nuclear disaster in the face and run toward it — and if the 9th Civil Support Team is any indication, they mistakenly think the rest of us are too.

“These things we are trained to combat, I wouldn’t want to see anyone go through. If I have the skills to stop it, I’m going to,” said Staff Sgt. Steven Kemp, one of the survey-team members who examined the wreckage April 8 at Universal Studios Hollywood, which provided a uniquely realistic setting for the exercise. “These things that could happen — civilians wouldn’t walk away; everyone would try to do something.”

Maybe Kemp is right, and everyone would try to help. But few have the outstanding capabilities of the Los Alamitos-based 9th CST or its counterpart in the northern part of the state, the Hayward-based 95th CST. California is one of only three states whose National Guard can boast two of the elite domestic-response units.

“They have great expertise. Being able to turn to the CST and say, ‘Hey, we need help,’ is vital for the region,” said Sgt. Michael Kelleher, supervisor of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s HazMat Detail. “There’s not enough hazmat people in the world, and we are fortunate to have them in our area as a local asset.”

 Each CST comprises 22 Soldiers and Airmen with the skills to identify chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents; project the consequences of an event; advise on response measures; and assist with requests for state and federal support.

 CST members can rapidly analyze samples to identify chemical and biological agents; predict the dispersion of hazardous materials based on terrain and weather; and provide medical expertise and treatment information. The CST also brings a self-sustained decontamination facility for entry-team members and a state-of-the-art mobile communications system.

 “We are subject matter experts, and we also come with a lot of response capability and gear that other response teams in the state do not have,” Kemp said.

 In the April 8 scenario at Universal Studios, the local fire department was first on the scene after the jet crash. Their devices indicated radiation and an unknown gas in the area, prompting the Sheriff’s Department to alert the CST.

 Once the flames were extinguished, the CST and the Sheriff’s Department made a joint entry to the crash site to assess the scene, followed by further surveys by the CST. Analysis performed by the CST indicated which nearby areas were likely to be hit hardest by the radiation and helped Kelleher, the incident commander, plan evacuation and emergency-response activities.

 “We’re usually called out when the contaminant is unknown or if the locals are tied up with something else,” said the CST’s 1st Sgt. Laura Miller. “We work for whoever’s in charge.”

 Miller said the CST is an exceptionally close-knit group — a second family — and it needs to be that way, because these service members rely on each other for their survival. Everyone needs to do their job perfectly, or the whole team — and huge numbers of civilians — could suffer. Fortunately the CST attracts the right kind of service member.

“CSTs are people who really want to be here — not coming out for a paycheck, but a different sense of purpose,” Kemp said. “It’s a challenging job, and we wear a lot of hats, but we have an inherent responsibility to the public.”

 

Story by Brandon Honig