100th CES provides training to Grissom ARB reservists Published June 19, 2012 By Karen Abeyasekere 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs RAF MILDENHALL, England -- Reservists from Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., wrapped up their temporary duty in England with a hazardous material training exercise as they worked alongside active-duty members from the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron Emergency Management flight A total of 57 reservists joined their counterparts within the 100th CES, and three of them became part of the emergency management team for the two weeks they were in England. "We've been integrating with the active-duty shops and taking on some construction projects, providing people from structures and heavy equipment flights," said Master Sgt. Jon Raschke, 434th Civil Engineer Squadron Emergency Management flight chief, 434th Air Refueling Wing, Grissom ARB. He said the training here was extremely helpful. "Any time you can integrate with different shops, it's always beneficial, but when you cross with active duty members to do the training, you can see how similar we all are, and that's even better," he said. "It's good to learn from these people, who all do this job full time." Ranks of the reservists ranged from master sergeant to senior airman, and they do a variety of jobs in the "outside world." The hazmat exercise they participated in was put together by the 100th CES Emergency Management flight, and the scenario was hazmat response for a chemical suicide. Staff Sgt. Geoffrey Wadsworth, 100th CES Emergency Management plans and operations NCO in charge, was one of those who put together the exercise. He said this type of scenario has occurred in the real world in England and the United States in the past, so he felt it pertinent to have this type of training. Set up near the main gate, this particular exercise provided training just for the civil engineer members, rather than involving other first responders such as security forces and the fire department. A simulated unconscious person was found in a vehicle, which was sealed with tape and had signs posted, labeled "Danger! Do not open doors!" Inside was a bucket of an unknown substance, and other chemicals. The response teams got fully suited up with personal protective equipment, and took sampling equipment over to the vehicle. They then made checks all around it, taking care not to open the door, as they didn't know what the chemicals were or what the associated hazards would be. They were assessed by other emergency management members throughout the entire exercise. Though they encountered a few problems, Wadsworth said that's what the training was for. "Finding those problems, now helps to show where our weaknesses and shortfalls are, so we can correct them for the future," he said. Wadsworth explained that a real-world response like this would take at least several hours, as it would include initial response from the police and fire department. Once on-scene, the incident commander would then request the presence of emergency management, who would then start various hazard detection procedures. He said additionally, in a real-world situation there would also be a large decontamination line set up, to clean the responders who approached and entered the car. Emergency management would ensure the hazard in the vehicle was mitigated, which would include neutralizing the chemicals and bagging and removing all products.- The reservists' flight chief said they had found working and training with the 100th CES members to be extremely beneficial. "Their ability to train and the equipment they have available to them, along with the knowledge they have from doing this full time - we usually don't have that available to us," Raschke said. "But, we also get to bring in a different perspective. Any time you bring two bases together, you get different ideas. Plus, we bring skills from our civilian jobs," he said. "When we go to war, we go to war together, so we need to train together." The emergency management flight members said they generally have reservists here once a year, although this time around they are having three reservist units in a short period of time. They will soon be training members from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., and Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135 R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives. Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
