CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait -- Sirens blared throughout the base. There were reports of a traffic accident involving a fuel truck. Within the hour, the report of a suspicious package caused emergency response personnel to report to different scenes.
"Exercise, exercise, exercise," an austere voice announced over the base loud speakers during the emergency response exercise on August 29 at Camp Arifjan.
Area Support Group-Kuwait hosted the event to test the readiness and capabilities of the base's emergency response teams, and it was an opportunity for different first responders from ASG-K and U.S. Army Central to work together alongside Kuwaiti military personnel.
"It's important that all the different agencies work together on post and have all the resources they need if something really bad happens here" said Maj. Gen. William Hickman, the deputy commanding general-operations of USARCENT.
"We're training Soldiers. All the units come here to train and take it back to their home station."
Military police, firefighters, explosive ordnance disposal personnel, hazmat specialists and the combat support hospital all played key roles. Kuwaiti citizens role-played as casualties and observers while a U.S. Marine unit from Al Jaber flew Kuwaiti casualties between the hospital at Arifjan and the Kuwait Military Hospital.
The exercise tested the interoperability and responsiveness of the entire emergency response community, according Capt. Kurt Boehm, the Director of Emergency Services at Camp Arifjan
"We're building partnerships and creating an exercise that incorporates all of the emergency responders," Boehm said.
In one scene, a traffic accident, firefighters and a team of hazmat specialists from the 369th Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Company, were called upon to decontaminate the scene and several casualties.
"It was a pretty easy transition," said Sgt. 1st Class Markeil Smith, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the CBRN team during the exercise. "We were easily able to change over with the firefighters so they [could] go to another site."
Concurrently, a potential roadside bomb was spotted near a dining facility. A team from the 741st Ordnance Company joined the on-scene military police and Criminal Investigation Command personnel to resolve the situation.
Casualties from the local exercise and other military facility exercises in Kuwait passed through the Combat Support Hospital on base, where Col. Kimberlee Aiello, the hospital commander, said the staff worked with all the personnel involved to treat them
"Our main job is to protect the force," said Capt. Loyd Michael, a nurse in the 10th Combat Support Hospital and Denver native.
"We defend those who are on the front lines. If we're not ready to do this type of mission, then we cannot protect the ones who are defending [us]."
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