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AOR emergency managers gather at Balad to hone skills

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Lisa Spilinek
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq --  They looked liked they were extras in a low-budget, sci-fi movie walking in slick green chemical suits with what looked like scuba-diving air tanks strapped to their backs. A massive dust storm added to the ambiance of the scene by casting a strange orange hue to the already odd-looking clan walking about here April 19.

The Airmen weren't looking for fish-men or killer bees with a thirst for blood, however; they were seeking the answers to a different type of mystery, much scarier than the kind that lurks on television channels after 3 a.m.

Someone had found an unknown powdery substance in one of the buildings on Balad AB and it was up to the emergency management experts to determine what it was and if it posed a danger to the building occupants.

While the situation was staged, it could have been the real thing and emergency managers deployed to locations throughout the area of responsibility would have been ready to identify and mitigate the risks involved.

The unknown substance exercise event was one of many that Airmen from Balad, Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Ali Base and Al Asad Airfield participated in during a week-long emergency management training session that concluded April 19.

"We provide emergency management and [chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear] response capabilities to Balad AB. We support national strategy by countering asymmetric use of [weapons of mass destruction] against U.S. forces' ability to project power," said Master Sgt. Michael Messina, 332nd Civil Engineer Squadron emergency management flight superintendent, deployed from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

The training session marked the second time during the past four months that emergency management personnel from Operation Iraqi Freedom locations came together to practice their skills, Sergeant Messina said.

The session at Balad was not only significant to the air base, but the rest of the bases and forward operating locations in Iraq and the area of responsibility as well, said Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Stoudt, who is the deployed to Southwest Asia as the functional manager for the emergency management career field.

"This is an AOR exercise. We provide a capability to commanders to protect forces from any TIC or TIM [toxic industrial chemical or toxic industrial material] so that they can still do their mission," said the sergeant deployed from Air National Guard Headquarters in Washington D.C.

One benefit of the training session was that the participants had the opportunity to practice using their specialized gear, which includes various types of protective clothing and technological gadgetry that they use to identify and collect potentially dangerous substances.

"The challenge is that at home station, we don't always get to use the equipment. Here we have the continued opportunity to take stuff out to play with it," said Senior Airman Kevin Phillips, who is deployed from Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

While the emergency managers at Balad do some form of hands-on training at least weekly, bringing personnel together from across the AOR allowed those gathered to standardize the techniques that they employ so they are prepared to respond to any type of situation, Sergeant Stoudt said.

"It's an [explosive ordnance ground] war right now. If it turns into a CBRN war, we have to be ready," Sergeant Stoudt said of fighting the Global War on Terrorism.

Knowing that emergency managers are trained and ready provides reassurance to commanders and subordinates alike.

"We provide peace of mind for the base," Airman Phillips said. "We are the teddy bear you can hold at night."