28th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Protection

ELLSWORTH AFB, SD, UNITED STATES
02.12.2019
Photo by Senior Airman Michella Stowers
28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs 

Airmen from the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Protection Flight learn the principles of ice rescue in the Rapid City Fire Department’s classroom in Rapid City, S.D., Feb. 12, 2019. Before heading out to Canyon Lake, Airmen learned about the different tools and correct procedures needed to perform an ice rescue. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Michella Stowers)

Airmen from the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Protection Flight shuffle onto the ice to get hands-on experience with ice rescue at Canyon Lake in Rapid City, S.D., Feb. 12, 2019. Beneath the ice where they trained was about 5-7 feetof water; however, Canyon Lake has areas that reach up to twice that depth. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Michella Stowers)

Exercise Patriot Sands

TALLAHASSEE, FL, UNITED STATES
02.22.2019
Photo by Tech. Sgt. Larry Reid Jr.
1st Combat Camera Squadron     

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Myers, an aerial porter assigned to the 81st Aerial Port Squadron, Joint Base Charleston, S.C., monitors a Federal Emergency Management Agency vehicle driving onto the ramp of the C-17 Globemaster III during Exercise Patriot Sands at Tallahassee International Airport, Tallahassee, Fla., Feb. 22, 2019. Exercise Patriot Sands is a joint-service exercise coordinated by the Air Force Reserve, designed to integrate first responders from federal, state, local agencies and the military by providing quick response training in the event of a regional emergency or natural disaster.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Larry E. Reid Jr.)

386th “We conduct water sampling tests weekly,”

Photo By Staff Sgt. Arielle Vasquez | Staff Sgt. Charles Rideout, 386th EMDG bioenvironmental engineering technician, utilizes a chemical identifier to analyze unknown substances at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Feb. 18, 2019. The device is used to compare the results of infrared spectroscopy to known Chemical Warfare Agents, toxic industrial chemicals, drugs and explosives. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Arielle Vasquez) 

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)
02.27.2019
Story by Staff Sgt. Arielle Vasquez
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs 

Deployments take U.S. service members to all corners of the globe, which can present a number of health risks, especially in new environments.

This is where the 386th Expeditionary Medical Group bioenvironmental engineering flight steps in to combat and reduce these hazards. In the same way, the Occupational Safety and Health Act protects employees at work, the technician's monitor and ensure a safe working environment for service members.

“Our mission is to bolster operational effectiveness and do our part in keeping the 386th AEW members healthy said Staff Sgt. Charles Rideout, 386th EMDG bioenvironmental engineering technician. “Our flight is responsible for preventative medicine as well as emergency management.”

The four-person team provides numerous services across the installation including water testing, air sampling, worksite health assessments and heat index calculations. Through the compilation and utilization of this information, the flight is able to prevent illnesses and injuries before they occur.

A major way the flight keeps members and coalition partners fit to fight is by ensuring the safety of water on the installation.

“We conduct water sampling tests weekly,” said Staff Sgt. Paige Moloto, 386th EMDG bioenvironmental engineering technician. “Typically, we are responsible for over 40 samples a week, from bottled water, municipal systems and storage tanks.”

While the bioenvironmental technicians are experts in preventative health, avoiding hazards are not always possible.

“In the event of a release of chemical, biological or radioactive warfare agents, we work in partnership with emergency management, security forces and the fire department, to identify the threat and determine effective treatment methods,” Moloto explained.

Data the flight gathers is also necessary for aiding medical providers to treat patients. Bioenvironmental technicians provide concrete information on the environment, hazards and chemicals that help guide the care of patients that may have been exposed, ensuring providers continue to informed treatment decisions years after the service member's exposure.


While being in an expeditionary environment comes with unique challenges, the technicians have expressed their appreciation for what they do every day.

“It is a great feeling to know how much of an impact and responsibility we have on this installation by keeping people healthy and fit,” Rideout said. “Sometimes, it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day work, but what we do is absolutely critical to the mission.”

USS Makin Island (LHD 8)

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES
02.19.2019
Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy Laramore
USS Makin Island (LHD 8) 

190219-N-TF178-1033 SAN DIEGO (Feb. 19, 2019) A shipboard firefighting vehicle is loaded onto the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) during barge crane operations. The firefighting vehicle, which will be stored on the ship's flight deck, is a quick-response crash and rescue vehicle meant for use in emergency situations during flight operations. Makin Island, homeported in San Diego, is conducting a depot-level maintenance availability. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jeremy Laramore/Released)

Saving lives together: Philippines Bureau of Fire Protection trains with DTRA, Colorado first responders

Photo By Chelsi Johnson | Members from the Philippines Bureau of Fire Protection Special Rescue Unit (BFP SRU) and the Fountain Fire Department (FFD) assist in removing the protective gear from the Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) initial response team as part of the decontamination (DECON) team during a training exercise in Fountain, Colorado, February 14. The exercise is the culmination of a two-week Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Explosive (CBRNE) training the BFP SRU received from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s CBRNE Preparedness Program (CP2). During the exercise, the BFP SRU team worked side by side with the FFD to respond to and counter the effects of a simulated homemade explosives laboratory. DTRA’s CP2 program helps to train and equip military and civilian first-responders to deal with worst-case scenarios. (Department of Defense photo by Chelsi Johnson)

FOUNTAIN, CO, UNITED STATES
02.20.2019
Story by Chelsi Johnson
Defense Threat Reduction Agency 

Fountain, Colo. – First responders from the Philippines’ Bureau of Fire Protection Special Rescue Unit received specialized training on response capabilities from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) Preparedness Program (CP2) in Fountain, Colo., Feb. 4-15, 2019.

The Bureau of Fire Protection Special Rescue Unit, with units in Makati, Cebu, and Davao, sent 28 members to the training, which focused on enhancing medical and hazardous materials response skills through lecture and hands-on training provided by DTRA’s CP2 program.

“The Philippines is continuously threatened by extremists, and other disasters. The Bureau of Fire Protection is the front-runner of the national government to respond to these events,” said Philippines Chief Superintendent Jeremy Diaz, director for plans Bureau of Fire Protection National Headquarters. “The Defense Threat Reduction Agency provides necessary training to the Bureau of Fire Protection Special Rescue Unit to enhance our capabilities and skills in response to weapons of mass destruction incidents.”

One critical aspect of DTRA’s CP2 mission is supporting U.S. Indo-Pacific Command through targeted CBRNE preparedness training and assistance to partner nations. The CP2 program helps train and equip military and civilian first responders to deal with worst-case scenarios, sharpening their ability to react to and mitigate CBRNE dangers in their home country.

“Through engagements like this, the CBRNE Preparedness Program can assist, improve and develop the CBRNE disaster preparedness capabilities of our partner nations,” said U.S. Army Colonel Kevin Damon, Director of Building Partner Capacity, Defense Threat Reduction Agency. “CP2 addresses local capabilities and resources by assisting nations, like the Philippines, plan and prepare before a disaster incident.”

The two-week course culminated with a field training exercise, where the Philippine BFP SRU team worked side by side the Fountain Fire Department, responding and countering the effects of a simulated homemade explosives laboratory.

“This was a priceless experience for my team to participate in,” said Interim Fire Chief Michael Orr, Fountain Fire Department and HAZMAT team lead. “To be able to work alongside this team [BFP SRU], in response to a HAZMAT incident, and to see the effectiveness of the training, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I won’t forget.”

The critical capabilities gained during the training help partner nations not only protect their homeland, but also contribute to improved national, regional and global interoperability and cooperation.

“There are only a handful of members that completed this training, but this knowledge will multiply a thousand times when returning to our country,” said Diaz. “The skills and knowledge that we have acquired here are only possible through this program. The Bureau of Fire Protection, as well as the Philippine Government, is grateful for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.”

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DTRA enables the Department of Defense, the U.S. Government, and international partners to counter and deter Weapons of Mass Destruction and Improvised Threat Networks. DTRA's CP2 department is the DoD's lead program for developing foreign partners capacity to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from CBRNE/WMD incidents.