FEMA Region VIII HRF Collapsed Structure Venue Site Opening Ceremony
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Utah National Guard FEMA Region VIII Homeland Response Force held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Collapsed Structure Venue Site May 10, 2022. The CSVS is one of only three military owned Urban Search and Rescue training venues west of the Rocky Mountains. This CSVS will allow both military search and extract and civilian search and rescue teams the opportunity to train together and build those necessary partnerships needed in an “all hazards” response. (Photo Credit: Ileen Kennedy) VIEW ORIGINAL
FEMA Region VIII HRF Collapsed Structure Venue Site Opening Ceremony
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Utah National Guard FEMA Region VIII Homeland Response Force held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Collapsed Structure Venue Site May 10, 2022. The CSVS is one of only three military owned Urban Search and Rescue training venues west of the Rocky Mountains. This CSVS will allow both military search and extract and civilian search and rescue teams the opportunity to train together and build those necessary partnerships needed in an “all hazards” response. (Photo Credit: Ileen Kennedy) VIEW ORIGINAL
Homeland Response Force Region VIII  Collapsed Structure Venue Site
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Utah National Guard FEMA Region VIII Homeland Response Force held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Collapsed Structure Venue Site which included a demonstration and static display of capabilities May 10, 2022 at Camp Williams, Utah. The CSVS is one of only three military owned Urban Search and Rescue training venues west of the Rocky Mountains. This CSVS will allow both military search and extract and civilian search and rescue teams the opportunity to train together and build those necessary partnerships needed in an “all hazards” response. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by 1st Sgt. John Etheridge) (Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class John Etheridge) VIEW ORIGINAL
FEMA Region VIII HRF Collapsed Structure Venue Site Opening Ceremony
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Utah National Guard FEMA Region VIII Homeland Response Force held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Collapsed Structure Venue Site May 10, 2022. The CSVS is one of only three military owned Urban Search and Rescue training venues west of the Rocky Mountains. This CSVS will allow both military search and extract and civilian search and rescue teams the opportunity to train together and build those necessary partnerships needed in an “all hazards” response. (Photo Credit: Ileen Kennedy) VIEW ORIGINAL

The Utah National Guard’s Region VIII Homeland Response Force will conduct its 2022 readiness validation exercise at Camp Williams, Utah, from Aug. 3-7, 2022.

“This year's evaluation exercise is particularly important, in light of the effects of COVID nation-wide, it has been more than three years since the Region VIII HRF received an evaluation,” said Lt. Col. Erick Wiedmeier, commander of the Region VIII HRF. “We are anxious to demonstrate that our service members are trained and ready to serve the citizens of our nation during any situation.”

The HRF mission involves identifying, training, and maintaining a deployable force of 500-plus service members who are ready to respond within the continental United States in the event of a catastrophic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or all-hazard event in order to mitigate suffering and loss of life. Every three years, the HRF must pass an evaluation to certify the teams are mission ready.

During the exercise, the HRF will demonstrate the ability to rapidly deploy, convoy to the incident site, set up, and conduct individual and collective tasks over a 36-hour period of time. Tasks include search and extraction, decontamination, medical triage and stabilization, and fatality search and recovery.

UTNG’s Region VIII HRF is comprised of trained and ready domestic emergency responders capable of managing a catastrophic event in the region, including Utah, Colorado, Montana, North and South Dakota, and Wyoming.