New Alabama Guard Unit Completes Validation Training, Governor and General On-Hand

ANNISTON, AL (09/14/2011)(readMedia)-- Story by Army Spc. Brian Canady

The premier response force for defense support for civilian authorities for the state of Alabama is what government leaders are calling the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, high-yield Explosive (CBRNE) Enhanced Response Force Package (CERF-P); a Department of Defense and Homeland Security directive aimed at building up homeland defense with National Guard resources.

There are currently only sixteen other states that have this specialized group of emergency responders; Alabama makes the seventeenth. The units selected for this mission include the Alabama National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 145th CBRNE Battalion, Centreville, Ala.; the 440th CBRNE Company, Vincent and Clanton, Ala.; the 690th CBRNE Company, Mobile, Ala.; the 187th Fighter Wing, Montgomery, Ala.; and the 117 Air Refueling Wing, Montgomery, Ala. These units were selected due to their specialized nature and training in chemical and medical operations.

The CERF-P is a response capability that falls under the direction of the Alabama Guard's top officer, the adjutant general, and will be available to support local, state and federal agency response efforts in the event of a mass causality disaster. Although they generally operate in a CBRNE environment, they are available during natural disasters or other events as deemed necessary by the adjutant general. "I am really looking forward to this training and am glad to accept this mission," said Capt. Robert O'Brien, Alabama CERF-P Operations Officer. "The fact that Alabama has been selected for this training and that I get to use my knowledge as a Chemical Operations Officer is awesome." Currently there are approximately 200 members of the Alabama Army Guard and Air Guard collectively training for the elite team.

This specialized team is receiving extensive training in search and extraction, mass causality decontamination and medical treatment during a natural or manmade disaster. "I feel honored to be a part of this great team. The search and extraction team works hard, trains hard, and exhausts themselves mentally and physically in order to be the best." said 1st Lt. Jessica Weltin, the search and extraction executive officer and reconnaissance officer in charge. "My Soldiers sacrifice time away from family, work and friends in order to train so they are prepared to respond to any incident. Natural and [man-made] disasters are part of the realistic world we live in and the search and extraction team is trained to assist local authorities in saving the lives of disaster victims."

The training itself will have its own list of challenges to meet, but also a unique time constraint. Alabama was only given approximately eight months to complete what other states have had almost two years to complete. "I have a great amount of confidence in the leadership and my fellow guardsmen. Mind you, the time was a little quick, but I feel that we will succeed as a team and a state to set the bar higher for others" said Staff Sgt. William Santiago, a member of the search and extraction team. "Alabama accepted this somewhat daunting task with the severe time constraints because this unit is needed in our state," said Lt. Col. Stephen Messer, the CERF-P commander. "With the annual threat of hurricanes, tropical storms, earthquakes and a large-scale hazardous materials incident, Alabama needs this specialized rescue and response unit. This unit provides the governor with a rapidly deployable unit with the technical specialties to significantly decrease the impact of both natural and man-made disasters."

These courses will prepare CERF-P Soldiers and Airmen to overcome a number of obstacles they may face during their missions. They are able to support any state or territory within the United States. If a disaster occurs, the CERF-P team will mobilize within a specified window of time upon alert by the adjutant general.

The major train-up process recently culminated today with a five-day validation and certification process, done by the Joint Interagency Training and Education Center (JITEC), a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, Alabama National Guard Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Perry G. Smith, and various other political, social and military leaders attended the validation to show their interest in the unit and their appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the CERF-P Soldiers and Airmen.

Governor Bentley also observed training and received capability briefings from the 46th Civil Support Team, an all active Alabama National Guard force trained to respond to incidents of weapons of mass destruction; and the Pre-mobilization Training Assistance Element (PTAE), a group of Alabama Guard Soldiers who train Alabama Army National Guard units preparing for deployment.

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Cutline:Two members of the Alabama National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, high-yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package tend to a role player during the CERF-P validation exercise at Pelham Range near Anniston, Ala., Sept. 14.

More photos and video b-roll from today's event can be found at www.dvidshub.net/units/jfhq-ang in the Alabama CERF-P Validation gallery.

Posted Wednesday September 14, 2011 at 08:02 pm by Alabama National Guard
Last Updated Thursday September 15, 2011 at 11:36 am