WMD unit conducts joint-training exercise in W. Va.

  • Published
  • By Kalei Rupp
  • Alaska National Guard
CAMP DENALI, Alaska --  Members of the Alaska National Guard's 103rd Civil Support Team - Weapons of Mass Destruction put their skills to the test and helped train another unit during a recent exercise in West Virginia.

Five members of the team spent seven days at the Center for National Response, W.Va., in early April, responding to various scenarios involving chemical, biological and radiological incidences.

The main purpose of the event was to conduct joint operations with the 13th CST from the Rhode Island National Guard.

"We have an ongoing training partnership with the 13th CST, and we were helping train some of their new personnel," said Lt. Joseph Radke, survey section leader, 103rd CST.
"Even though we're the largest state in the union and Rhode Island is the smallest, we face a lot of the same challenges as first responders; we both encounter maritime missions and have the need and opportunity for the same type of training."

The event was specifically designed to train the survey section, which is the team that conducts field operations in the "hot zones," areas that are believed to be potentially contaminated during an incident.

These team members are the first responders who enter sites, make a presumptive identification of the danger and any associated hazards, as well as gather samples from the site.

"During the exercise, the survey sections responded to chemical, biological and radiological scenarios, while dealing with contamination and communication issues," said Lt. Col. Stephen Wilson, commander, 103rd CST.
 
"The training on those scenarios went really well and is invaluable. Joint training like this allows our team members to share differingprocedures and techniques and better prepares the 103rd CST for integration into a large scale national disaster in the lower 48."

Two members of the 103rd CST, Staff Sgt. Nina Kolyvanova and Sgt. Robyn Munnlyn, were recognized for excellence during the event for their expertise in their fields.

Kolyvanova is a member of the survey section and Munnlyn is part of the decontamination section, which s responsible for making sure members of the survey section who enter hot zones and possibly come into contact with dangerous materials are cleaned of contaminants before leaving the area.

The 103rd Civil Support Team is in place to respond to chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear attacks.

Members augment local and regional terrorism response capabilities in events known or suspected to involve these WMDs.

Some of its recent deployments include responding to Hurricane Katrina incidences in New Orleans, a suspicious letter sent to the governor's office in Juneau and a suspicious odor at an Anchorage apartment complex, at the request of the Anchorage Fire Department.