Integrated training prepares Airmen for emergency operations

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Rebecca Imwalle
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  The 28th Medical Operations Squadron bioenvironmental engineering flight worked closely with members from the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department and 28th CES emergency management unit during an integrated base emergency response capability training July 13 to 17.

Training program developers designed the exercise to validate proficiency, teach new techniques and practice capabilities including command and control, hot-zone operations, decontamination, sampling, analysis and health risk assessment.

Chris Hosman, Alliance Solutions Group senior emergency management specialist, was one of three evaluators who participated in the training exercise.

"This ensures Airmen are prepared for any emergency situation they may face in order to keep the base safe," Hosman said.

Following several days of classroom instruction, Airmen participated in a hands-on training exercise developed to strengthen and test their abilities to operate in emergency situations. The goal of this training was to safely evaluate the situation and test the chemical to determine the presence of biological agents while building cohesiveness between participating units.

"I enjoyed working closely with emergency management to solve the various scenarios we were confronted with," said Airman 1st Class Shane Jones, 28th MDOS bioenvironmental engineering technician. "Through this training I was able to come to a deeper understanding of the equipment we use and how to use that equipment to analyze multiple hazards."

Jones explained that the IBERT provided an excellent opportunity to practice responding to multiple real-world based scenarios and it was also a great chance to further their working relationship with the 28th CES emergency management unit and fire department.