Air Force, Army effort saves government dollars

Published July 19, 2013
By Master Sgt. Marelise Wood
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- In a joint effort between the firemen of the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron and a deployed Army battalion, more than 60 U.S. Army Soldiers have been trained in the handling of hazardous materials (HAZMAT), enhancing their emergency response skills, and saving government dollars.

Army Capt. Eric Knight, Commander Charlie Company, 55th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, first approached the Air Force firemen about doing HAZMAT training with them so that his Soldiers could become more proficient and return to their units as subject matter experts.

This sparked a series of classes beginning in late May.

"Since the end of May, we have held classes almost every week, training over 60 Soldiers," said Tech. Sgt. James Boyd, Fire Station 2 station captain.

Boyd, who is deployed from the 126th Air Refueling Wing, Illinois Air National Guard, saw the training as a win-win for all concerned.

"It was not only the right thing to do, but we're saving the government money," he said.

The Department of Defense HAZMAT Operations Level class, a 40-hour course, can cost anywhere from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars at a civilian institution, said Boyd. And that figure is before adding up the per diem entitlements the Soldiers would have incurred to travel to the nearest school to their respective units.

Here, Boyd and other members of his squadron were able to oversee the Soldiers as they completed the course online, perform reviews, conduct the test and perform practical application; all requirements for successful completion of the course.

Members who complete the course are Department of Defense certified and receive the knowledge needed to be able to perform basic control, contamination and/or confinement operations in a HAZMAT situation.

"This is one of the worse classes for us as firemen," said Boyd. "The material is dry and challenging. The hands on is very physically demanding."

But, the Soldiers involved saw the benefit of the training and embraced it with gusto.

"After taking the online course, the Air Force classroom and practical exercises helped bring the training to light," said Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Frey. "I was confused at the beginning but by the end, I had a much better understanding of the hazardous material training."

Boyd was proud of the work the Soldiers put in.

"For these Soldiers, which there were only four with any kind of first responder, law enforcement or fire-type experience, it was remarkable to me that they have an over 90% pass rate."

Motivation which may be due in part to the Soldiers' desire to keep in step with their counterparts in their home units who are currently training in support of the Homeland Response Force mission. Units with an HRF mission provide quick-response medical, search and extraction, decontamination, and command and control capabilities as part of the Department of Defense's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosive Consequence Management enterprise.