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Civil Engineers test readiness in HAZMAT exercise

Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Kingsley, 319th Medical Operations Squadron Bioenvironmental Flight NCO in charge, checks for chemical residue outside a building where a simulated hazardous materials (HAZMAT) pharmacy fire took place. Teams of two, consisting of an emergency manager and a bioenvironmental engineer, suited up in HAZMAT gear and entered the “contaminated” area, looking for spills and other chemical hot spots, and radioed back to the incident command post with their findings. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Susan L. Davis)

Civil Engineers Test Readiness in HAZMAT Exercise

Published Oct. 9, 2013
By Staff Sgt. Susan L. Davis
319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Several members of the 319th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department and Emergency Management came together with the 319th Medical Operations Squadron Bioenvironmental Engineering flight Sept. 26, 2013, to participate in an Integrated Base Emergency Response Capabilities Training event.

The chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) challenge concentrated primarily on a chemical exercise scenario where participants simulated a fire outbreak in a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) pharmacy, and had to assess and contain the chemical hazards present as a result.

Teams of two, consisting of an emergency manager and a bioenvironmental engineer, suited up in HAZMAT gear and entered the "contaminated" area, looking for spills and other chemical hot spots, and radioed back to the incident command post with their findings.

"This kind of training is realistic, that's what I really like about it," said Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Kingsley, 319th Medical Operations Squadron Bioenvironmental Engineering flight NCO in charge. "We don't get to do this kind of training very often with our counterparts from fire and other emergency personnel, so it's really good when we can, because we always come away with a lot afterward."

Senior Airman Joshua Levasseur, emergency manager and Kingsley's teammate during the exercise, agreed.

"This is the part of the job I love the most," he said. "It has a sense of realism to it, and it reminds me that we could be put in a position one day where we are responsible for saving lives, real world."