GRATON, CA, UNITED STATES
02.28.2019Video by Master Sgt. JosephJ Prouse
California National Guard
Video by Master Sgt. JosephJ Prouse
Video by Master Sgt. JosephJ Prouse
Friday, March 1, 2019
Video:Sonoma County Floods
Video by Master Sgt. JosephJ Prouse
California National Guard
Video:Kadena Air Base Structural Live Fire Training
03.01.2019
Video by Airman 1st Class Cynthia Belio
18th Wing Public Affairs
Thursday, February 28, 2019
The Fleet meets the fleet: The San Diego Fleet visits MCAS Miramar
02.26.2019
Photo by Sgt. Jake McClung
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar / 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Kendall James, cornerback for the San Diego Fleet football team, poses for a photo in front of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar’s Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting station at MCAS Miramar, Calif., Feb. 26. The San Diego Fleet football team visited MCAS Miramar to further foster cohesion between the San Diego community and MCAS Miramar. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jake McClung)
Travis Feeney, outside linebacker for the San Diego Fleet football team, sprays the hose of a P-19 firetruck during a tour at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Feb. 26. The San Diego Fleet football team visited MCAS Miramar to further foster cohesion between the San Diego community and MCAS Miramar. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jake McClung)
Have a heart, learn CPR
02.28.2019
Courtesy Story
U.S. Army Warrior Care and Transition
Have a heart, learn CPR
By: MaryTherese Griffin, Warrior Care and Transition
ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. Army Maj. Rick Connolly, an Army Nurse who also served as a paramedic for several years, thinks that Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, more commonly known as CPR, is something everyone can learn very easily. Since 2007, new Soldiers have been trained on CPR and other lifesaving skills before graduating from basic combat training.
“I think everyone should know CPR regardless if you’re a Soldier or not. CPR is a valuable skill that can help save lives within the military and civilian communities,” Connolly said. “[CPR] is the strongest link in the chain of survival outside of calling 911 and early use of defibrillation when someone is having a cardiac arrest.”
Connolly says that the CPR curriculum also teaches people how to remove an obstruction in the airway, how to use an automated external defibrillator, or AED, and how to recognize the signs and symptoms of both a heart attack and stroke.
Connolly has seen his share of emergencies on and off the battlefield and he knows without lifesaving skills to aid medical professionals many people would die. He is thankful that it is required for Soldiers entering the Army today. “I think Soldiers would be – just like the public – at a great disadvantage if they did not know CPR. Perhaps more so given the often austere environments Soldiers are in and the potential delayed response times from [medical evacuation helicopters] given time, distance, terrain, or enemy action. Additionally, when in uniform, a Soldier stands out and is often expected to respond in some fashion when someone is in need,” Connolly added.
The American Heart Association reports that there are approximately 10,000 cardiac arrests that happen annually in the workplace and 88% of all cardiac arrests occur at home making lifesaving skills crucial for everyone and practicing those skills is just as important.
“I have performed CPR many times. The first time, one is so full of adrenalin the experience seems surreal. However in time and with continued practice or use, it becomes second nature and the apprehension or fear to do CPR is gone,” Connolly said. “While I have never had CPR alone result in survival, I have had the combination of CPR and AED/Defibrillation, and advanced cardiovascular life support save lives.”
Connolly has personally met his patients who have survived a cardiac arrest because CPR was initiated immediately followed by defibrillation/AED being applied early, and a quick response by Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support providers. However, Connolly says if not for the immediate application of CPR, the rest would have likely been moot.
The chances are there will not be a CPR trained Soldier around to help you, but that same CPR training is available to civilians everywhere.
“Your local fire department may have classes, the American Heart Association and the Red Cross offer classes. In each case, one can become certified in CPR in about 4 to 8 hours and recertification is typically around 4 hours,” Connolly said.
Take advantage of a CPR class in your area and get certified, maybe one day you will be in a position to save someone’s life.
National Guard, first responders DAART into action
02.28.2019
Story by Samantha Hill
U.S. ARMY SPACE AND MISSILE DEFENSE COMMAND/ARMY FORCES STRATEGIC COMMAND
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — What did this year’s Super Bowl and State of the Union address have in common? Along with millions of Americans watching the events on television, both were protected by the same Army tool developed to save lives in the event of an emergency.
The Domestic Operations Awareness and Assessment Response Tool, or DAART, is used to assist local civil authorities responding to natural disasters or national special security events. Based on requirements from the National Guard Bureau, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command’s Future Warfare Center collaboratively developed the tool to provide responders improved situational awareness.
DAART sustainment leads Curtis Miller said one of the primary benefits of the system is it is unclassified.
“The goal was to develop a tool that could work across the Department of Defense and the local first responders to share information back and forth,” said Miller.
When Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. in 2005, the ability of the National Guard to share resources like full-motion video or specialized maps with local responders was limited. DAART was created to address this need. Now, DAART provides live video, video coordinates, geographic information and other information on a single map for both Soldiers and civilian emergency services.
“We want to make sure that what we collect, we can share with non-DoD first responders because in a natural disaster, even if the National Guard comes to help, the state is in control,” said Miller. “We are in a supporting role to the governor, so our focus is to make sure that all the information that comes in is shared to anybody who needs it.”
DAART development began in September 2009. It was first used months later after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010. Though DAART was still a developmental prototype, National Guard and local responders were able to take and map video. Using DAART, they monitored containment booms – the floating barriers that prevent oil from spreading – tracking its location and ensuring none were lost to theft.
Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the National Guard has used the system during multiple hurricanes and wildfires. For example, DAART provided simultaneous sharing of full motion video and situational awareness information during Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. During both hurricanes, the DAART system averaged 1,000 users per day. The system captured and distributed more than 100 videos, more than 1,000 still photographs and almost 1,000 space-based imagery products.
Locally and more recently, the Tennessee National Guard used DAART in response to flooding Feb. 24-25. Responders took pictures of a landslide over Interstate 24, and a collapsed section of State Road 66 in Hawkins County, Tennessee, placing the coordinates on DAART’s map. They were also able to take video for situational awareness.
DAART has also been used for more than 70 percent of the national special security events since February 2016, including the funeral for the 41st President George H. W. Bush, the 2017 presidential inauguration, and Super Bowls 50 and 53.
“We were standing by in case something happened,” said Miller. “The system was doing what it was supposed to. We have the confidence now that we don’t expect to get many phone calls. The responders know how to use the system.”
After nearly 10 years of use, the system has undergone multiple upgrades. When first deployed to all 54 states and territories, the Army provided laptops, cameras and satellite phones for the tool to work as part of a “Go-Kit.” Now, the system is web-based. Users can connect to the system on most computers through their internet browsers. There is also a DAART app that allows users to access information on their smartphones.
Though the web-based system is easy to use, access is limited to authorized users who are issued usernames and passwords. Users must take the Department of Defense cyber training course and agree to DAART’s acceptable use policy. The system tracks how each user operates the system. If a user is found using the system inappropriately, access is revoked.
DAART continues to be upgraded and utilized. The SMDC/ARSTRAT DAART team conducts training, and in the event of an emergency, the team provides technical support if responders have any questions.
Miller provided in-person technical support to the National Guard Bureau headquarters during Hurricane Florence. In the middle of the fast-paced environment, Miller saw DAART in action.
“It makes me feel proud to know that my team has developed a system that is helping provide decision makers with a situational awareness tool so they can monitor a situation as it progresses,” he said.
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