Summer weapons of mass destruction response training builds on interagency partnerships

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AUGUSTA, MAINE (08/11/2022) (readMedia)-- Since 1998, Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams have trained to respond to chemical, biological radiological and nuclear emergencies within the United States. These CSTs are designated as units within each state's National Guard. In Maine, the 11th CST provides this service, composed of 22 active duty Airmen and Soldiers from the Maine National Guard.

Over the past month, Maine's 11th CST has been busy, even during one of the warmest summers on record. They have participated in two large exercises coordinated with local, state, and federal agencies – the first in Skowhegan and Augusta July 19-20, and another August 2-3, onboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Marcus Hanna in South Portland and on Peaks Island.

"We're a Joint Force, with Army and Air Force members, optimized to work with civil responders and emergency managers in the event of the use of weapons of mass destruction or other hazardous incidents," said Maj. Ian Hepburn, commander of the 11th CST. "While these exercises are simulated and all for training purposes, they're scenarios to help us exercise with our civil partners to help us with our abilities to detect and identify chemicals and to work alongside with Emergency Management responders."

In Skowhegan, the scenario was based on the Skowhegan Police Department requesting the 11th CST to assess hazardous materials located in a building. Agencies participating with the 11th CST included the Maine Emergency Management Agency, Maine State Police, Somerset County Emergency Management Agency, Skowhegan Fire and Police Departments, and Redington-Fairview General Hospital.

The exercise's incident commander was the Skowhegan Police Chief. The scenario's emergency medical response was provided by the Skowhegan Fire Department, and a hazardous materials response team was directed by Somerset County Emergency Management. Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan participated by supporting a scenario where a casualty required the hospital's decontamination treatment.

As the CST was conducting its surveillance of the scenarios site, a possible suspect in the manufacturing of the materials is located in Augusta. This included the scenario of a simulated explosive device possibly affecting the State House. This created another request for CST support by the Maine State Police bomb squad to assess a WMD threat Augusta – extending the CST's resources to two locations simultaneously and putting their abilities to the test.

"Getting all the participating agencies involved in training exercises allows us to bridge communication gaps," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Anthony Sturgis. "Then in the event of a real-world emergency, we've identified people, their roles and responsibilities, and key leaders that should be taking part in the overall response."

At the conclusion of the exercise, the agencies shared their observations and what they had learned. Participants agreed that the collaborative approach to testing their resources was of great value in the event of future emergencies.

"I think everybody knew what other agencies have for capabilities but not on what scale," said Michael Smith, director of the Somerset County Emergency Management Agency. "We're here to support the municipalities and every emergency stays local unless there's a need for additional support. Then it's a partnership with everyone working together."

"This enhances our ability to work with emergency managers," Hepburn added. "The more we practice with them and the more relationships we build, the more they know about our capabilities and can apply this in actual emergencies."

The second exercise this summer was developed as a partnership between two CSTs. In April, the 11th CST worked with the Virginia National Guard's 34th CST and other agencies in Virginia to conduct an exercise based on bomb hazard tactics, techniques, and procedures in Virginia Beach. This exercise was conducted by the 11th CST, the 34th CST, and U.S. Coast Guard. The plan for the partnership started over a year ago when the teams were developing their training calendars.

"The bottom line is both CSTs recognized areas we both wanted to get better at," said Capt. Lane Wiggin of Virginia's 34th CST, and a former Maine guardsman. "The Virginia CST is very good at working as the bomb squad but we lacked the maritime operations training. What Maine and the Coast Guard put together for us were two exercises to help us with conducting our operations on boats and also giving us some confidence in working on the water."

The two CSTs participated in a scenario first on August 2 where they supported a WMD response on Peaks Island in Portland Harbor. Together, they practiced their deployment techniques and shared various lessons learned in the process. This helped set the stage for the following day's exercise with the U.S. Coast Guard.

On August 3, the scenario required both CSTs to report to conduct a WMD maritime response at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in South Portland. They boarded the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Marcus Hanna where they surveyed the vessel, cleared areas onboard, and identified threats for a suspected radiological device. The CSTs were provided various scenarios ranging from using small boats to maneuver to the Cutter, treating a casualty, transporting a casualty, and conducting operations in protective gear.

"I'm always amazed at the physical and mental endurance of my team on a day like this when it is so hot," said Hepburn. "For them to put on the heavy protective chemical suits that they use to stay safe in a real-world event, it's always impressive."

As the CSTs and the U.S. Coast Guard assessed what had taken place, it was made clear that the training experienced during the exercise was beneficial for all participants.

"The Civil Support Teams are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year should there be some sort of large-scale weapons of mass destruction use or any other major hazard," said Hepburn. "Every state has a CST and we are optimized to work directly with so many different agencies."

"The right people are doing the right things in the Maine CST," Wiggin added.

Story by Lt. Col. Jeff Roosevelt

Photos by Master Sgt. Travis Hill and Sgt. Darin Douin