CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - On a hot Saturday afternoon, Alabama National Guardsman, Pvt. 1st Class Erica Haynes, 440th Chemical Company, skillfully maneuvers over the debris of a collapsed structure. She is searching for survivors of a simulated nuclear explosion. Her teammates followed close behind, insuring all areas are fully explored.
This search and extraction exercise is the first training session for her unit at Vibrant Response 14, Aug. 2, Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center.
Vibrant Response is a U.S. Northern Command-sponsored, U.S. Army North led, field training exercise for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive consequence management forces. It is designed to improve their ability to respond to catastrophic incidents.
“Is anybody in here?” Haynes called out as she struggled to find her footing on the unstable remains.
“Is anybody in here?” She called out.
Having a hunch someone could be trapped inside the structure below her, she grabbed a large plank and began pounding the surface beneath her.
“Can you hear me!” she exclaimed. “If you can; knock back!”
There was a muffled reply from below, crying out for help. She found a survivor and is prepared to do whatever it takes to rescue them.
Haynes said search and extraction is her favorite skill to perform.
“You have to think off the top of your head and you never know what to expect,” said Haynes.
She said that survivor’s injuries and the integrity of the structure can complicate the extraction, thus requiring a great deal of thought and skill to perform the rescue.
“Are you hurt?” Haynes called out to the survivor trapped below her.
The survivor’s right leg was injured and he was unable to move it, further complicating the rescue. Because of his immobility, Haynes and her team were not able to cut through the structure to perform the rescue without risking further injury to the survivor.
This situation did not discourage her; she began searching for another way to extract the survivor.
Her determination during this exercise is a trait she demonstrated consistently.
“The first time I met her we were at training for search and extraction, the same thing we are doing here today,” said Alabama National Guardsman Spc. Shanieka Abney, 690th Chemical Company, TF-46, “Nothing stops her, she was injured and still pushing on.”
Haynes and her team maneuvered around the structure to a tunnel that might offer access to the survivor that was still trapped.
Haynes said, “Confined search and extraction can be challenging. Small spaces limit the types of equipment that can be used and rescuers do not have much room to maneuver.”
Haynes team sent one of their members into the tunnel in attempt to reach the survivor.
For Haynes, her team’s safety is a top priority. As her teammate crawled through the opening to the tunnel, Haynes offered coaching.
“Watch your leg on those wires,” said Haynes. “There you go, you got it.”
In addition to the safety of her team, the survivor’s safety was a constant concern. One way to ensure the safety of survivors is to package them properly for extraction; a task she said is her strongest skill.
“You have to select the right system to package them,” said Haynes.
She explained that there are various techniques and equipment used in extractions and using the method most appropriate for the scenario is vital to ensure the safety of the survivor and her rescue team.
Despite her team's efforts in the tunnel, they did not reach the survivor.
Haynes huddled with her team to devise additional strategies to perform the rescue. In embodiment of the Warrior Ethos, Haynes remains determined.
“She is highly motivated,” said Abney, “She doesn’t give up, and she won’t quit.”
Date Taken: | 08.02.2014 |
Date Posted: | 08.03.2014 13:32 |
Story ID: | 138135 |
Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA, US |
Web Views: | 179 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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