Hot, Dirty, and Contaminated

By Spc. Spencer RhodesJune 28, 2010

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Staff Sgt. Tim Dolan, from 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait -Staff Sgt. Tim Dolan, a 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment non-commissioned officer for the quick reaction force at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, communicates through a hand-held radio May 25th. As part of the simulated exercise at ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Staff Sgt. Tim Dolan
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1st Squadron, 153 Cavalry Regiment's Quick Reaction Force
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait -Staff Sgt. Tim Dolan and Spc. Ronald Bellew, Soldiers with the 1st Squadron, 153 Cavalry Regiment's Quick Reaction Force stand at a street corner on Camp Buehring, Kuwait. For the simulated exercise they're task is to divert tr... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Camp Buehring, Kuwait
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait -A dnycorp fireman, during a simulated chemical exercise at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, May 25th, secures and checks a contaminated Soldier after having gone through an emergency decontamination process. The exercise not only involve... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait-Blistering heat permeates through the uniforms and suits of those outside participating in a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear exercise at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Tuesday, May 25th. The Camp Command Cell, under the 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, is carrying out one of the largest planned exercises in over two years.

According to Ltc. John D. Haas, Commander, 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalary Regiment, the planning for the recent exercise started over two years ago with units who have already finished their deployments in Kuwait and returned home. It took a great deal of cooperation to get everyone involved on the same page, and it involved the majority of Camp Buehring's residents.

"It's a Collaborative event that exercises all first responder agencies and our ability to command and control incident responses on Camp Buehring," said Haas.

The exercise's main focus was a test of communication between Camp Buehring's first and second responders and their reaction to a CBRN related incident. Both the civilian security force and the naval military police on the Camp put on protective masks and suits while directing traffic away from simulated contaminated areas of the Camp. The resident EMT's responded to simulated casualties and injuries throughout the Camp while reporting statuses to the 1st-153rd Emergency Operations Center.

The DynCorp firemen and A Troop 1st-153rd Cav. played another crucial role in the simulated exercise by being in charge of decontamination of simulated casualties. They donned their gear, despite the overwhelming heat of the early afternoon, and executed decontamination procedures.

"Despite the high temperature, the Troopers of A/1-153 performed well today. They had the decontamination site up and running in less than 20 minutes and cycled 20 simulated casualties through ensuring no contamination to the Troop Medical Clinic. This was a great exercise with many lessons learned by all Soldiers involved," said Capt. Sam Sergeant, Commander for A Troop 1st-153rd CAV.

Every security and medical force at Camp Buehring was involved in the event; it provides a better assessment of the Camp's readiness as a whole for any dilemma. The Quick Reaction Force, and the Area Reaction Force, both under command of 1st-153rd CAV at Camp Buehring, were placed at strategic areas to maintain watch on anyone wishing to come into contaminated areas. Like the military police, they would direct any vehicles driving toward the contaminated area to a clean route.

According to Capt. Jason Hunt, Commander of C Troop, 1st-153rd CAV, the exercise created an opportunity to work and train with all the different entities on the Camp while exercising some internal procedures that are rarely used. Total recall and accountability of all personnel is one example.

"Although we weren't wearing our highest level of chemical protection, the exercise still gave our Soldiers an opportunity to train in a simulated CBRNE environment wearing their protective masks and gloves. This will give leadership some planning guidance on work and rest cycles in the event something similar occurs," said Hunt. Lt. Col. Haas believes the exercise ended on a high note. The 1-153 has actively prepared for this since they arrived in theater and as expected, performed well. Communication, emphasized at the beginning as a crucial factor, remained strong throughout the day.

"This exercise now validates all the training on the standard operating procedures from all the agencies, and our ability to command and control in an intense environment," said Haas.

The 1-153 will continue to conduct monthly exercises to maintain readiness throughout deployment, albeit on a much smaller scale and with less involvement from other branches and civilian contractors.

"The exercises allow the Camp Command and its units to maintain a high level of readiness for whatever comes," said Haas.