Photo By Jane Welch | Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment, Kansas Army National Guard,...... read more read more
ELLSWORTH, Kan. - Clad in gas masks, helmets and riot vests, and armed with three-foot riot batons and shotguns loaded with blank ammunition, Ellsworth Correctional Facility officers trained with the Kansas Army National Guard to quell a simulated inmate uprising at the prison in Ellsworth, Kansas, during an exercise Sept. 24.
The exercise, sponsored by the Kansas Department of Corrections, was to practice the airborne tactical response to a crisis within prison grounds. Improving communication and teamwork between the command structure – from the prison warden to the secretary of corrections, the governor and adjutant general, down to the local agencies – was the goal of the exercise.
Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, piloted by Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment, from the Army Aviation Support Facility 2 in Salina, Kansas, flew to Ellsworth to pick up and then aerially insert the Special Operations Response Teams, comprised of approximately 36 Ellsworth corrections officers, into the Ellsworth prison facility to suppress a crowd of unruly inmates, played by prison staff.
It wasn’t the first time the Kansas Guard and Ellsworth prison have worked together. There have been additional coordination and training events, including other full-scale exercises like this.
“Over the last 20 years, we’ve developed a good working relationship with the Guard,” said Capt. Troy Frimmel, commander of the SORT. “We’re the only (correctional) special operations team in Kansas that works with the military.”
This kind of joint effort provides beneficial training for all involved, said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jason Garr, standardization instructor pilot, AASF#2.
“Tactical insertion of specialized teams into areas that can only be accessed by helicopter is the primary role of an aviation air assault unit,” said Garr. “Any opportunity to practice that mission in a realistic scenario results in the highest level of training we can accomplish.”
Putting boots on the ground as fast as possible is the objective and response time is greatly reduced with the use of the helicopters. Frimmel said aircraft may provide the only access inside a compromised facility once the entry and exit points are overtaken.
“This type of training is extremely important because you always find your weaknesses,” Frimmel acknowledged. “Unless you really go out and actually do it, you don’t know how to improve or what to expect. It’s critical in getting all the agencies involved.”
Interagency training provides a familiarization between personnel, procedures and equipment.
“There are some things you just can’t simulate, like how long it takes someone in full riot gear to buckle their seat belt,” Garr said. “Events like this provide learning experiences that are used in future events.”
The Ellsworth Correctional Facility and Kansas Guard conducted a similar exercise in 2009, but this type of airborne mission was a first for many members of the SORT.
Chris Dean, a staff sergeant at the prison, had never flown in a helicopter before.
“I was a little nervous,” said Dean. “But this exercise is something most SORT members look forward to and once I got up in the air all the butterflies were out."
Marty Sauers, deputy warden of the Ellsworth Correctional Facility, stressed the importance of the partnership with his facility and the Kansas Guard.
“It’s valuable to be able to know that the National Guard is available if we have a really bad situation,” said Sauers. “The partnership is really good experience for our SORT team members to understand the capabilities the Guard provides.”
Among these capabilities is the capacity to serve a dual mission, Garr said.
“The Kansas National Guard has not only a federal mission to the commander in chief, but a state mission to protect the citizens of Kansas,” said Garr. “Working along with other protection agencies only enhances the state’s reaction capability, creating a safer environment for everyone.”
Once control of the prison had been reclaimed, Dean and the other members of the SORT were picked up and flown to safety by the choppers.
“It was a thrill,” said Dean. “I was more excited to get back on and do it again.”
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 10.02.2014 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 144100 |
| Location: | TOPEKA, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 499 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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