Weapons of Mass Destruction in Lowndes County?

 

Story and photos by Dan Therrien

 

 When we hear news reports about weapons of mass destruction, Iraq is usually the first thing that comes to mind but is it possible we could be targeted right here in Lowndes County? We should hope not but being prepared for that possibility is what the 46th Civil Support Team, Weapons of Mass Destruction unit, out of Montgomery, is trained to handle.

Fort Deposit got a taste of what such a scenario Tuesday when the 46th CST conducted a training exercise at the National Guard Armory, home of the 781st Transportation Company. The exercise setting was that the 781st had recently returned from Iraq and the mail which was sent to the unit in Iraq was forwarded here and one box was found to have Arabic writing and contained a suspicious powder so the 46th CST was called in.


Maj. Rick Pelham, deputy commander, 46th Civil Support Team - Weapons of Mass Destruction, briefs survey team members on the action plan prior to their going in to investigate and take readings of a suspicious package sent to the National Guard Armory in Fort Deposit as part of a training exercise June 13. Members of the Fort Deposit volunteer fire department observe in the background to gain a better understanding of the procedures involved and the role they play.

 

 

They are one of 36 certified teams in the United States which  are  federally funded National Guard units established under a presidential decision directive to augment local and regional terrorism response capabilities where weapons of mass destruction could be involved.

“This team became active in March 2003 when the Secretary of Defense informed Congress that we were certified to respond,” said   1st Lt. Alan Hammonds, 46th CST operations officer and former national guardsman with the 781 CS in Fort Deposit. “We work with fire departments, police, HazMat and EMS agencies teams on anything involving known or suspected WMD. We are on call 24/7 and can be enroute with two hours,” he said.

When the team arrived, they set up a decontamination area, a medical operations area, a tactical operations center which has secure phone and internet capability and the ability to integrate CST radios with local responders and other expert agencies such as the Center for Disease Control. Also set up was a mobile lab to provide on-site field analysis of various chemical and biological agents.

At about 10 a.m. the exercise began. The incident commander, hazard survey team and others were briefed then the survey team suited up with specialized equipment and protective gear and headed out to take air samples for possible contamination downwind from the package in question.  These survey results are assessed, and computer hazard modeling project how large an area to evacuate.

When they arrived at the suspicious package, a number of readings were taken to detect possible chemical or biological agents.  Prior to leaving the entry corridor, they had to undergo decontamination which involved scrubbing, rinsing and showering with water provided by a fire truck belonging to the Fort Deposit Volunteer Fire Department to simulate field conditions. An encased sample was then taken to the lab for precise analysis testing and prepared for further analysis by state and federal labs.

"Exercises such as this one are used to test our response capabilities and procedures to ensure that when we respond to an actual incident we are able to give the first responders an accurate and timely analysis of any suspected weapon of mass destruction,” said Lt. Col. Jim Heartsill, 46th CST commander.  “These exercises also show the local fire and police departments our capabilities so they will have a better understanding of how we can assist and work with them in the future."

 “Each of our team members completes 850 hours of technical training by agencies including the National Fire Academy, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, the EPA and others,” Heartsill added. Lieutenant Colonel Heartsill is a Fort Deposit native and retired Montgomery police officer. He joined the CST in 2003. Team members work for the CST commander, who is under the command of the adjutant general.

The commander explained that requests for assistance go from the local police or fire department through the county emergency management agency, to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. Authority to deploy the team rests with the governor, through the adjutant general. Additionally, military support guidelines allow the CST commander to respond immediately to valid civil requests that involve imminent threat to life and property.


 

The following images show the exercise scenario from beginning to end. Click on any image to enlarge.

 

The staging area was complete with satellite dish and generator for virtually any type of necessary communication between the on-scene team and off-site authorities.

SSgt. Cindy Calloway, assistant operations NCO, hazard modeling, mans the tactical operations center where she  communicates to those on and off scene then logs all details.

Maj. Rick Pelham, deputy commander, briefs Capt. Mark Smith, acting as incident commander, as Lt. Col. Jim Heartsill, commander (right) and other team members listen to the action plan for handling a suspicious package sent to the National Guard Armory in Fort Deposit as part of a training exercise Tuesday. All are weapons of mass destruction experts attached to the 46th Civil Support Team.

Survey team members suit up as they prepare to head out to determine the nature of the suspicious powder found in a package mailed to the National Guard Armory.

Survey team members photograph and take readings of the suspicious package where it is then safely packaged, decontaminated and taken to the lab for further tests.

Maj. Rick Pelham briefs members of the Fort Deposit Volunteer Fire Department on hazardous materials response procedures as two survey team members undergo decontamination after examining a suspicious mail package.

Water used during the decontamination was taken from a Fort Deposit fire truck to simulate actual field conditions.

Capt. Mark Smith, Nuclear Medical Science Officer with the 46th Civil Support Team, tests for the specific type of chemical agent found in the mail package by using sophisticated test equipment inside a safe globe box at the mobile lab set up in the exercise area.