Golden Coyote soldiers train for CBRNE attacks

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jarad A. Denton
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  During the month of June, Ellsworth Air Force Base joined the Army National Guard and several other joint-service and multi-national military units in hosting the 2010 Golden Coyote exercise.

Golden Coyote is a training operation which focuses on infrastructure repair, humanitarian aid, unit sustainment operations, homeland defense and security operations.

Part of the homeland defense mission comes from the Army National Guard 704th Chemical Company from Arden Hills, Minn. The 704 CC is responsible for responding to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear issues threatening both the military and civilian communities.

"Our main focus here [at Golden Coyote] is to train for the care and decontamination of civilian casualties," said Army Staff Sgt. James Kinzer, 704 CC Golden Coyote safety officer. "The decontamination tent simulates the actual process we go through when handling decontamination issues."

Sergeant Kinzer said soldiers from the 704 CC pose as casualties of a CBRNE weapon attack. They are logged in at the tent entry point and assessed for any physical injuries or mental conditions which may be agitated by the decontamination process.

"We have a lot of controls built in for the potential psychological impact of a [CBRNE] weapon attack," said Sergeant Kinzer.

In addition to training for the psychological effects, the 704 CC also focuses on being the primary response team for attacks both stateside and in a deployed location. Army Staff Sgt. Isaac Pardon-Varde, 704 CC NCO-in charge wants the training the soldiers in his company receive to serve as a strong foundation for future operations.

"I hope everyone learns the diversity of the chemical company's mission," said Sergeant Pardon-Varde.

When handling a casualty situation after a CBRNE attack, the soldiers of the 704 CC divide the decontamination tent into three zones:

· Hot Zone - This section of the tent is where casualties are logged in and scanned for possible contamination issues. They are also instructed to remove any clothing or personal effects which may impede the decontamination process.

· Warm Zone - From the Hot Zone, casualties proceed to the Warm Zone, where they are decontaminated with a water and chemical shower, as well as an abrasive scrub brush which helps remove any further contamination to the skin or clothing.


· Cold Zone - Once the casualty has been successfully decontaminated, they proceed to the Cold Zone where they are redressed in clean clothing and out-processed. If the casualty has any medical or psychological concerns they are forwarded to the proper organization.

The 704 CC soldiers are trained to handle casualties with various physical or psychological conditions. The casualties during the exercise simulate different ailments in order to test the training of the soldiers.

We train how we operate in the field, said Sergeant Pardon-Verde. Every soldier in the company needs to be ready to handle any situation which could arise as a result of a CBRN attack. Our level of readiness may one day mean the difference between life and death.