The Air National Guard Inspector General’s office led a five-day training, known as a Counter CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) All Hazards Management Response course, that culminated in an emergency response exercise at Morris Air National Guard Base, Tucson, Ariz., June 13-17, 2022.
Civilian and military instructors from across the country joined members of the 162nd Wing at the Morris Air National Guard base to provide a series of training opportunities. From barricaded personnel to casualty care, the instructors teamed up to provide real-life scenarios aimed at equipping Airmen with the tools to respond to and manage emergency incidents at or near the base.
“This course and training exercise allowed participants to cultivate their skillsets and focus on areas that are most critical to mitigating the loss of life, loss of property and damage to the environment during a CBRN and emergency response,” said Capt. Nishitkumar Patel, Director of Inspections. “Additionally, it provided the opportunity for an expert and external assessment of the 162nd Wing’s response to an all hazard incident,” he said.
CAMR is a unique program that provides various opportunities for emergency responders to work together to solve challenges, preparing them for real-world incidents. For the ANG, that means being ready to serve the state, nation and community during an emergency.
The five days of CAMR training are broken into various didactic instructional modules including an introduction to the Incident Command System, Emergency Operations Center operations, air monitoring, radiation detection, chemical identification, and threat awareness. Days one through three focused on Table-Top Exercises, aimed at reinforcing points of instruction, and exercising current base plans and checklists. The TTXs offered participants the chance to operate with outside agencies to develop a working relationship for future responses both on and off base. The week was rounded off with an “active shooter” exercise and a CBRN training event.
“This was a great opportunity to train and exercise with our wing and partners,” said Lt. Col. Christine Rhodes, 162nd Wing Inspector General. “We were able to work with members from our wing, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and Pima County,” she said.
