CBIRF and FDNY train side-by-side, share search and rescue tactics

Photo By Lance Cpl. Maverick Mejia | Marines and Sailors with Chemical Biological Incident Response Force trained alongside F.D.N.Y for a field training exercise at the F.D.N.Y training academy in Randall’s Island, N.Y. June 20, 2016. CBIRF is an active duty Marine Corps unit that, when directed, forward-deploys and/or responds with minimal warning to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) threat or event in order to assist local, state, or federal agencies and the geographic combatant commanders in the conduct of CBRNE response or consequence management operations, providing capabilities for command and control; agent detection and identification; search, rescue, and decontamination; and emergency medical care for contaminated personnel. (Official USMC Photo by Lance Cpl. Maverick S. Mejia/RELEASED)

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES
06.27.2016
Story by Lance Cpl. Maverick Mejia
Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF)

NEW YORK – Chemical Biological Incident Response Force and the Fire Department of New York, FDNY, conducted three days of training at the FDNY Fire Academy located in Randall’s Island, New York, with a final simulation drill at Grand Central Station in New York City, N.Y. The training took place June 20-23.

The training is part of a long-standing CBIRF and FDNY relationship, established around 1998 when the unit sought to add search and rescue to the chemical/ biological response forces’ capabilities.
The training provided an opportunity for the men and women that protect one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world, to share their experience and tactics with CBIRF..

“I love this, this is great,” said Lt. Vincent Pickford, lieutenant for Squad 288 in Queens. “If we can maybe help (CBIRF) out a little bit to do the job that they have to do, it’s an honor.”

FDNY has certain similarities to CBIRF in that both are trained to respond to a catastrophe of any sort including hazardous incidents.
The similarities do not end there.

“(The fire department) is a lot like the Marine Corps. The guys are good, (there is) a lot of team work, a lot of camaraderie. It’s very similar,” said Capt. Robert Morris, retired captain of Rescue 1 in charge of Manhattan.

The fire fighters love to come and work alongside Marines and Sailors, said Morris expressing fire fighters’ willingness to train with CBIRF. When the time comes for CBIRF to train with us, there are many firefighters competing to get here – especially firefighters who served as Marines.

Training was divided into three areas specific to search and rescue capabilities. The first covered various techniques of rope usage. CBIRF Marines were offered scenarios in which ropes can be used for ascending and descending to and from difficult areas of reach to rescue victims.

The second area was vehicle extrication with hydraulic, battery powered and hand tools and proper techniques designed to rip through mangled car parts and get to a victim as quickly as possible.

The third area was breaching techniques with fire torches, saws and chainsaws, and hydraulic drills to get through any barriers, as well as the proper techniques to guarantee the safety of the rescuers as well as the victims.

CBIRF Navy Hospital Corpsmen received training with the paramedics of FDNY to learn different techniques on how to assess the patients and attend as well as decontamination and transportation to safety.
Working with FDNY enhances CBIRFs proficiency in skills learned during the three-week CBIRF Basic Operations Course, or CBOC. Every Sailor and Marine at CBIRF, regardless of their occupational specialty, is required to attend CBOC.

“I think this is a great experience for the Marines and Sailors to work side by side with guys who have an incredible amount of experience, in one of the biggest and greatest cities in the world, where they see things almost daily that probably a lot of places don’t see in a year,” said Capt. Benjamin Royal, commander for Initial Response Force Alpha.
Royal added although CBIRF and FDNY have different missions both care about doing good in the world.

The training concluded with a staged operation that took place at Grand Central Terminal Station, a center point for trains and subways to get to Manhattan, not only for the five boroughs but the inner part of New York as well.

The scenario included a simulated explosion in the two train tracks of Grand Central contaminating the area and leaving casualties that were exposed to the contaminants. The mission required the entire IRF to mobilize as quickly as possible, prepare a game plan within minutes, and start sending Marines and Sailors quickly into the contaminated “Hot Zone.”

CBIRF worked through many obstacles and problems presented throughout the operation, including extracting victims out of the hot zone followed by the proper medical care.

It was a unique experience but the Marines were able to develop and execute the plan and evacuation to follow on transportation.
“The problem that we were presented with was extremely challenging, one of the tougher problems that we would ever have to face,” said Royal. “Every Marine and Sailor was pleased and thankful to work side by side with FDNY and able to get hands-on experience.”
The Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, or CBIRF, is headquartered aboard Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Md. CBIRF is composed of two Initial Response Force Teams, or IRFs, each composed of roughly 130 Marines and Sailors that can be mobilized within a period of 24 hours when needed anywhere on the globe.

Each IRF is composed of Marines and Sailors from myriad different occupational fields split into search and rescue, explosive ordinance disposal, decontamination, extraction and medical teams that are trained to respond to, but not limited to, any kind of chemical or biological threat. This makes CBIRF unique not only to the Marine Corps but through the entire Department of Defense.

Randall’s Island, N.Y. – Marines with communications section of Chemical Biological Incident Response Force repel down the catwalk at the Fire Department of New York Fire Academy June 20, 2016. Marines and Sailors with Chemical Biological Incident Response Force trained alongside F.D.N.Y for a field training exercise at the F.D.N.Y training academy in Randall’s Island, N.Y. June 20, 2016. CBIRF is an active duty Marine Corps unit that, when directed, forward-deploys and/or responds with minimal warning to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) threat or event in order to assist local, state, or federal agencies and the geographic combatant commanders in the conduct of CBRNE response or consequence management operations, providing capabilities for command and control; agent detection and identification; search, rescue, and decontamination; and emergency medical care for contaminated personnel. (Official USMC Photo by Lance Cpl. Maverick S. Mejia/RELEASED)

Marines and Sailors with Chemical Biological Incident Response Force trained alongside F.D.N.Y for a field training exercise at the F.D.N.Y training academy in Randall’s Island, N.Y. June 20, 2016. CBIRF is an active duty Marine Corps unit that, when directed, forward-deploys and/or responds with minimal warning to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) threat or event in order to assist local, state, or federal agencies and the geographic combatant commanders in the conduct of CBRNE response or consequence management operations, providing capabilities for command and control; agent detection and identification; search, rescue, and decontamination; and emergency medical care for contaminated personnel. (Official USMC Photo by Lance Cpl. Maverick S. Mejia/RELEASED)

Randall’s Island, N.Y. – Staff Sgt. Preston A. RobinsonHoffman, a Marine Air Ground Task Force, MAGTF planning specialist, and Native of Shawnee, Kan., serves as a victim on one of the many specialized gurneys that are used to rescue trapped victims in hard to reach places during for a field training exercise at the F.D.N.Y training academy in Randall’s Island, N.Y. June 20, 2016.

Marines and Sailors with Chemical Biological Incident Response Force train alongside F.D.N.Y for a field training exercise at the F.D.N.Y training academy in Randall’s Island, N.Y. June 20, 2016. CBIRF is an active duty Marine Corps unit that, when directed, forward-deploys and/or responds with minimal warning to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) threat or event in order to assist local, state, or federal agencies and the geographic combatant commanders in the conduct of CBRNE response or consequence management operations, providing capabilities for command and control; agent detection and identification; search, rescue, and decontamination; and emergency medical care for contaminated personnel. (Official USMC Photo by Lance Cpl. Maverick S. Mejia/RELEASED)

Randall’s Island, N.Y. – A Marine with Search and Extraction Platoon, Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, breaks a car window as part of training exercise at Fire Department of New York Fire Academy June 21, 2016. Marines and Sailors with Chemical Biological Incident Response Force train alongside F.D.N.Y for a field training exercise at the F.D.N.Y training academy in Randall’s Island, N.Y. June 20, 2016. CBIRF is an active duty Marine Corps unit that, when directed, forward-deploys and/or responds with minimal warning to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) threat or event in order to assist local, state, or federal agencies and the geographic combatant commanders in the conduct of CBRNE response or consequence management operations, providing capabilities for command and control; agent detection and identification; search, rescue, and decontamination; and emergency medical care for contaminated personnel. (Official USMC Photo by Lance Cpl. Maverick S. Mejia/RELEASED)

Randall’s Island – Marines with Chemical Biological Incident Response Force rescue a victim from a severely damaged vehicle at Fire Department of New York Fire Academy, June 21, 2016.

Marines and Sailors with Chemical Biological Incident Response Force trained alongside F.D.N.Y for a field training exercise at the F.D.N.Y training academy in Randall’s Island, N.Y. June 20, 2016. CBIRF is an active duty Marine Corps unit that, when directed, forward-deploys and/or responds with minimal warning to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) threat or event in order to assist local, state, or federal agencies and the geographic combatant commanders in the conduct of CBRNE response or consequence management operations, providing capabilities for command and control; agent detection and identification; search, rescue, and decontamination; and emergency medical care for contaminated personnel. (Official USMC Photo by Lance Cpl. Maverick S. Mejia/RELEASED)

Osan honors airman who died after helping rescue family from fire

The 731st Air Mobility Squadron at Osan Air Base has honored an airman who died from injuries sustained while helping save a family from a burning building.

Staff Sgt. Cierra Rogers died May 20 shortly after arriving at her follow-on duty station in Florida. She was 26 years old. Rogers, who was credited with being the first airman to arrive at the scene, was hospitalized in the days following the April 29 fire in South Korea’s Songtan district and required surgery.

“Let us remember her huge smile and her willingness to help others. While she was here, Cierra enjoyed life, and she truly lived life to the fullest,” Lt. Col. Breanna Fulton, the 731st AMS commander, told the memorial service.

Members of the Enyioko family, who Rogers and other airmen helped rescue, attended the ceremony along with representatives from the Embassy of Nigeria, South Korean government and Lt. Gen. Lee Wang-Keon, commander of South Korean air force operations command.

“Staff Sgt. Rogers’ honorable actions to help those in danger were a true example of what it means to serve,” Lee said. “We highly respect her courageous actions and will forever remember her noble sacrifice.”

https://youtu.be/_RzWnfjfJzY

https://youtu.be/6CvK_PHypFI

The dramatic events were captured on cell phone footage, showing a group of airmen and local residents using a blanket to catch a woman and her three children as they leapt from a window in the apartment building. Rogers initiated the rescue when she entered the smoke-filled apartment to kick out the window and usher the family toward safety.

“This beauty was in the hospital when everyone was being interviewed,” friend Kris Murray wrote in a tribute post on Facebook. “[Cierra] remained calm and told the mom how to breathe in the smoke, then convinced the mom to throw her three babies out the window to safety where firefighters and a few airman and soldiers waited to catch them. Cierra got very hurt in the process while sliding down some wires and kicking a window in.”

Rogers was a native of Dallas. She enlisted in the Air Force in 2010 and spent five years at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland before serving a year at Osan.

“Cierra traveled halfway around the world to help defend and protect the people of Korea,” said Lt. Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, the Seventh Air Force commander. “While she was here, like so many U.S. airmen, she became integrated into a local community which has welcomed so many of us for more than 60 years. As a member of that community, when she had an opportunity to help people in mortal danger, she didn’t hesitate to act. She set a tremendous example of service before self, one that all Airmen can aspire to.”

By Kat Bouza
Stars and Stripes
Published: June 28, 2016

Texas Guardsmen, local authorities are ready to respond to Hurricane season

Photo By Sgt. Elizabeth Pena | Texas Guardsmen along with other service members transport mock patients to the military aircraft during an evacuation exercise at the Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas, June 9, 2016. The Texas Division of Emergency Management along with the support of Texas Military Department and other state and local authorities conduct a state level hurricane-preparedness exercise June 1-9, 2016 across various Texas cities. The Texas Military Department practiced both general population and medical evacuation through embarkation hubs in the Rio Grande Valley. (Photo by U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Elizabeth Pena/Released)

 AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES

06.24.2016
Story by Sgt. Elizabeth Pena
Texas Military Department

AUSTIN, Texas – This has been a busy year for the Lone Star State with the recent record-breaking floods. Texas Guardsmen conducted more than 135 missions, rescuing more than 900 people and 310 pets May 29-June 12, 2016, after severe weather caused flooding to large portions of the region.

But the job doesn’t stop there. As Texas rolls into Hurricane season, the Guardsman must be trained and ready to react to emergency disasters when the state calls upon them.

“You have to be ready for whatever is coming at you, if you don’t entertain the training aspect of it,” said Matthew Geller, Task Force 1 Helicopter Search and Rescue Technician, “you’re looking at the risk being great, and you can’t sacrifice that much.”

This year, the Texas Military Department and first responders conducted a state-level hurricane preparedness exercise across various Texas cities, June 2-9, 2016. This is the third-annual exercise for Guardsman, but the first one to include outside civil agencies.

“Two years ago we started with just the Army and just our internal components in the Air Operation Center, said Shawna Wood, air operation superintendent at Camp Mabry. “Last year we started involving our interagencies such as, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Aviation Administration, Incident Awareness Association and outside agencies, the Air Force, and then this year the big step was Texas Department Emergency Management.”

Texas Military Department set up an Air Operation Center headquartered in Camp Mabry, Austin to coordinate the moving parts throughout the exercise along with over 11 state and local civil agencies.

“The Air Operation Center is a multi-agency air coordination center, and is hosted and managed by the Texas Military Department under the authority of the State Operation Center,” said Col. Tom Suelzer, director of operation for the Texas Air National Guard, and for the state he serves as the Air Operation Center director. “So when there is a state level or higher response, we’re tasked by the state to set up the Air Operation Center to help develop an air operation support strategy.”

The scenario was based on a fictitious Category 5 Hurricane “Tejas” which struck the Lower Rio Grande Valley, causing 1.1 million people to evacuate. In turn, Austin experienced widespread flooding due to the weather patterns.

Nearly 500 service members from the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, and Texas State Guard participated in the state-level exercise.

Several even acted as role players for the medevac piece of the exercise.
“For the past two years we’ve done search and rescue and on ground we’ve done aeromedical preparation,” said Wood. “But this was the first time we’ve actually moved the patients so this is a stepping-stone for what we’ve done the last couple years.”

Having these types of training's help Texan guardsmen and first responders stay ready for natural disasters.

“It’s been eight years since we’ve had any kind of major hurricane activity and a lot of key leaders up and down our change of command have changed, said Wood. “Our partnership with Texas Division of Emergency Management is very important so it’s building those relationships so that when the time comes we can put them into play.”

Coast Guard responds to flooding in West Virginia

Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Huntington Western River Flood Punt Team getting locals to safety near Clendenin, West Virginia, June 24, 2016. The team is assisting the West Virginia State Emergency Operation Center by providing disaster and relief assistance in response to the widespread flooding. U.S. Coast Guard photo

U.S. Coast Guard District 8

Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Huntington Western River Flood Punt Team getting locals to safety near Clendenin, West Virginia, June 24, 2016. The team is assisting the West Virginia State Emergency Operation Center by providing disaster and relief assistance in response to the widespread flooding. U.S. Coast Guard photo

Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Huntington Western River Flood Punt Team providing lifejackets to locals near Clendenin, West Virginia, June 24, 2016. The team has assisted with transporting 20 locals from isolated areas to safety, as well as delivering water and responding to 911 calls. U.S. Coast Guard photo

Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Huntington Western River Flood Punt Team provides lifejackets to locals near Clendenin, West Virginia, June 24, 2016. The team is assisting the West Virginia State Emergency Operation Center by providing disaster and relief assistance in response to the widespread flooding. U.S. Coast Guard photo

Army Reserve’s 811th Ordnance Company Assists Rainelle, WV during Flooding

Members of the 811th Ordnance Company, 321st Ordnance Battalion, 38th Regional Support Group, perform rescue in partnership with local and state emergency first responders in the town of Rainelle, W.Va., following severe weather and flooding throughout the state 24 June, 2016.

RAINELLE, WV, UNITED STATES
06.25.2016
Story by Capt. Sean Delpech
310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command

310th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) PRESS RELEASE
RAINELLE, W.Va. – Approximately 14 Soldiers from the Army Reserve’s 811th Ordnance Company have volunteered to brave flooding waters and mud slides around the city of Rainelle, W.Va. to provide rescue operations, route clearance and shelter in partnership with the town of Rainelle this weekend.

Flooding has reached historic proportions in the Rainelle, West Virginia area, causing massive amounts of property damage and endangering thousands of lives.

The flood prompted the town mayor to request emergency assistance from the 811th Ordnance Company, 321st Ordnance Battalion, 38th Regional Support Group.

The Soldiers of the 811th Ordnance Company became part of a coordinated emergency response effort, using military equipment to clear debris and transport residents to safety, and have housed and fed town residents that were displaced by the flooding in the area.

Forty-four counties in the West Virginia were under a declared state of emergency from Thursday, over the weekend due to high flooding, with many receiving the worst flooding recorded. Local rivers had reached historically high levels. Approximately 500,000 residents lost electricity initially, with many residents of the state left homeless, and at least 26 people recorded as casualties.

Although communities around the state are in the process of recovery, communities such as the town of Rainelle have been left with stranded residents, downed phone lines, damaged infrastructure and blocked roads.

Members of the 811th Ordnance Company, 321st Ordnance Battalion, 38th Regional Support Group, perform rescue operations and emergency assistance in partnership with local and state emergency first responders in the town of Rainelle, W.Va., following severe weather and flooding throughout the state 24 June, 2016.






















Members of the 811th Ordnance Company, 321st Ordnance Battalion, 38th Regional Support Group, perform rescue in partnership with local and state emergency first responders in the town of Rainelle, W.Va., following severe weather and flooding throughout the state 24 June, 2016.