FORT BENNING, Ga., (March 11, 2015) -- Five Soldiers from the 926th Medical Detachment visited the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama, Feb. 24-27 to attend the Environmental Health Training for Emergency Response Operations Course.
The course offered Soldiers an opportunity to test their emergency response and environmental health skills under realistic conditions.
Soldiers from the detachment were also able to interact with and work alongside civilian emergency workers, which is key to the Defense Support of Civilian Authorities process.
"The idea behind DSCA is that we're there to support (civilians), so by going and training with them directly, we were able to get used to working with them and get used to the cultural differences," said Maj. Scott Vial, detachment commander. "We were able to get a glimpse into their knowledge sets and work culture. ... In the end, our Soldiers wound up working really well with their civilian counterparts, especially once they had a day or two to train. By the time they got to the last day, they were really comfortable working with each other, which was good to see."
The course's students were divided into four teams, with a Soldier from the 926th embedded in each. For the first two days of training, the four teams rotated through tasks that included managing failed wastewater systems, assessing locations for shelters, contaminated water supplies and congregating care and mass feeding.
"Our individual teams worked together extremely well," said Sgt. Xavier Pagan. "I did notice there was less of a military command structure, yet everyone still completed their tasks to standard. Everyone had the opportunity to be in a leadership role, and the rest of the team filled in the necessary spots where their experience and training would benefit the group."
Each team completed two tasks per day for two days before participating in the culminating exercise, a daylong event that called upon the lessons taught during the rotating events.
The scenario involved a flooded apartment complex that had to be cleared for reoccupation, complete with simulated residents and local governments.
"The final scenario was challenging due to the problems we ran into during our inspection," Pagan said. "People wanted back into their homes immediately, and we had to ensure it was safe for them to go back inside the building. So, we had people demanding answers and the mayor asking us for answers to give to the public while we are trying to report back to our leadership what is inside this flooded building. But, we were still able to get the necessary info to accomplish the mission."
The EHTER course was the capstone event for the detachment's DSCA training, which also included several online courses and visits to local facilities such as the water treatment plant on Fort Benning and the wastewater treatment plant and landfill in Columbus.
With the training now behind them, Soldiers said they feel more confident in their abilities should the need to conduct DSCA operations arise.
"I have a better understanding of what environmental health's role is during an emergency," said Sgt. Amy Holecek. "I now know additional questions and topics to cover and I feel completely comfortable working with the civilian side of the house. We both have the same goal in mind - the safety and welfare of our fellow Americans in time of crisis."
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