National Guard Disaster Training Upcoming in Oriskany

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The National Guard Homeland Response Force trains in Oriskany, N.Y. in June 2017 to conduct readiness training to better respond to Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear incidents.

NEW YORK STATE PREPAREDNESS TRAINING CENTER, ORISKANY, N.Y. (09/05/2019) (readMedia)-- A regional disaster response force of more than 600 National Guardsmen and women from both New York and New Jersey will train here at the New York State Preparedness Center and at a state armory in Syracuse to rehearse their readiness to respond to Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear incidents September 6-8.

The New York National Guard's Homeland Response Force (HRF) is one of ten established by the Department of Defense to serve as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Consequence Management Response force.

WHAT: National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction response exercise at the NY State Preparedness Training Center

WHO: New York and New Jersey National Guard Soldiers and Airmen of the Homeland Response Force

WHERE: State Preparedness Training Center, 5900 Airport Road, Oriskany, NY 13424

WHEN: Friday, September 6 at 1 p.m.

Media Opportunity

Imagery of Soldiers wearing hazmat suits and training for casualty extraction and decontamination at a simulated incident site. For access to this training, contact New York Army National Guard Col. Richard Goldenberg at 518-727-7314.

Background:

National Guard Homeland Response Force

The Homeland Response Force consists of about 570 Soldiers and Airmen of the National Guard with expertise in search and extraction of disaster victims, incident site security, decontamination, medical treatment and command and control of the mission.

The HRF is the focal point for increasing response flexibility and lifesaving efforts of local authorities after a CBRNE incident in the states supported by FEMA Region 2.

The team trains under Defense Department guidelines to respond within a 6-12 hour window to local authorities after a WMD or other hazardous materials incident requiring assistance from federal military resources. The force is primarily equipped to respond via ground transport to an incident site, but is capable of air transportation to support all the states or territories responding to a CBRNE event.

The core of each HRF is a CBRN capability augmented with additional command and control and security capability. This allows for the force to expand as an incident may require.

At the same time, these National Guard forces must be prepared to provide trained and ready troops to support overseas contingency operations as needed.

The training in September prepares a new HRF team for validation later this year. The units include:

• The 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters, based in Syracuse, N.Y. to provide command and control

• Air National Guard communications personnel from the 105th Airlift Wing, based in Newburgh, N.Y. and the 107th Attack Wing, based in Niagara Falls, N.Y., providing Joint Incident Site Communications Capability (JISCC).

• New Jersey Army National Guard Soldiers from the 154th Quartermaster Company from New Egypt, N.Y. and 50th Chemical Company from Somerset, N.Y., providing a Casualty Assistance and Security Element (CASE).

• A New York Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear response task force headquarters from the 153nd Brigade Engineer Battalion command and staff, based in Buffalo, N.Y.

• Decontamination Element personnel from the 642nd Support Battalion, based in Rochester, N.Y.

• Search and Extraction Element Soldiers from B Company, 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, based at Lockport, N.Y.

• A medical triage element from the Airman of the 105th Airlift Wing, based in Newburgh, N.Y.

• A Fatality Search and Recovery Team (FSRT) comprised of Airmen of the 107th Attack Wing, based in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

The HRF is designed to foster increased dialogue between regional first responders and other state and federal response agencies. The HRF plays an important role at the regional level in helping develop and build regional plans and in working with emergency managers to build a cohesive government response to CBRN incidents at the regional level.

New York State Preparedness Training Center

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services established the training center in 2006. The facility, comprised of 723 acres at the former Oneida County Airport prepares traditional and non-traditional first responders to gain the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters or terrorist-related incidents.