JBER Airmen battle public health crisis in MAE

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Javier Alvarez
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The high-pitched howl of the Civil Engineer Squadron’s bright-red fire engines broke all silence as they arrived on scene. They were swiftly followed by the red and blue neon glow of base defenders, paramedics and bioenvironmental Airmen.

First responders from various units throughout Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson participated in a Mission Assurance Exercise, which tested the installation’s capabilities in dealing with a public health crisis, June 1, 2017.

The MAE simulated an anthrax attack at JBER’s Talkeetna Theater in which 25 Airmen, victims of the attack, awaited assistance.

Performing exercises like these is critical to maintaining readiness, said Stephen Spealman of the JBER inspector general office. First responders never want the first time they respond to an incident to be new.

These exercises enable them to showcase incident-response skills and allows them to maintain relationships between the various base units and agencies.

“I have participated in six base-wide exercises [as an augmentee],” said Senior Airman Katrina Ivers, a contracting specialist of the 673d Contracting Squadron. “I am consistently impressed with first responders at this base. They are polite, and generous with their time and energy. I have had the experience of playing several extremely distraught people and have always been treated with professionalism and kindness.”

In an instant, the grounds were swarmed by meticulously stationed crisis response vehicles.

Decontamination stations were put in place, which firefighters guided victims through. Healthcare professionals provided wellness screenings before transporting the ill to the base hospital for further care.

“Every time I’ve played extremely distraught, I’ve had a security forces Airman come sit with me and make sure I’m okay,” Ivers said. “[I feel great] knowing this because I know if I was actually distraught, that would be tremendously helpful. They are quick, on the ball, and get the job done.”

Defenders, firefighters and paramedics, along with all other participants, train regularly within their respective unit, however, they don’t necessarily train together, Spealman said. Base exercises like this allow for the inter-agency collaboration.

“As always we learned a few things, but that’s why we do what we do,” he said. “Overall, the base is prepared to ensure the safety of all personnel and residents.”