Photo By Staff Sgt. Patricia Austin | Nearly 600 service members from the New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico National...... read more read more
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ORISKANY, N.Y. -- Different National Guard units, different states and different experiences have all come together as one team in the FEMA Region 2 Homeland Response Force (HRF), which is undergoing its final evaluation at the New York State Preparedness Training Center here April 29 - May 2.
About 600 National Guard HRF troops from New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico are taking part in the exercise, which is designed to test their ability to respond to disasters. The training evaluates the team’s chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear response capability requiring the evacuation, decontamination and medical triage of casualties.
“Everyone trains in their lane and then they put all the pieces of the puzzle together properly, and we have this big machine that rolls on and accomplishes the mission,” said New York Air National Guard Lt. Col Douglas Daeffler, HRF deputy commander. “It’s a beautiful thing when you see it all come together.”
The Guard is made up of Soldiers and Airmen with both military and civilian skills, experiences and equipment to accomplish the mission.
“It brings all the resources and all the enablers that each Air and Guard has, brings us together so that we can combine those resources and use them in the most efficient way,” said New York Army National Guard Col. Joseph Biehler, HRF commander. “By coming together, it improves our capability to do what we need to do.”
Army and Air Force have always had their cultural differences, and most likely always will, said Daeffler. But working with such professionals overcomes any challenges that may bring, he added.
“It happens everywhere you go, but all these professionals are doing their jobs, and everyone trusts each other,” he said.
More so than being in different branches, Biehler said everyone brings their different experiences to the effort, whether it’s from previous deployments or their civilian careers.
“Everybody brings that diversity to the effort we have here,” he said.
Not only is it a diverse force, it is also a unique force.
“What makes us so unique is covering New York State and New Jersey,” Biehler said. “We’ve had 9/11, several hurricanes, severe winter weather –- the Air and Guard just pull out these missions. New York City and New Jersey are prime targets for a homeland emergency response. All of this makes us even more ready.”
With the exercise nearing its end, Biehler said it’s been a very good experience for everyone involved.
“I feel good. I’ve learned a lot, and my Soldiers and Airmen learned a lot,” he said. “The training brought us together working with first responders and the area commander and understanding how they operate and what their needs are. This has been a very good week. Everyone’s really worked together to get the job done.”
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2014 13:04 |
| Story ID: | 128758 |
| Location: | ORISKANY, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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