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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (November 14, 2016) - Soldiers and Airmen of the Florida National Guard's 44th Civil Support Team (CST) joined forces with members of the United States Coast Guard’s Gulf Strike Team (GST) and the Broward County Fire Rescue in a joint effort to develop interagency cohesion while responding to mock chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high yield explosive (CBRNE) threats on November 14, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale.
The three-day training event, consisting of a simulated biological agent being placed aboard a 256-foot-long passenger ferry, required the 44th CST to assist first responders and Coast Guardsmen in identifying, and assessing possible CBRNE threats in a confined, maritime environment.
"Being able to function in a maritime environment like this is one of the required tasks that a CST must be able to perform," said Sgt. 1st Class Denise Stuart, a reconnaissance non-commissioned officer (NCO) for the 44th CST. "We have to be able to work closely with other agencies like the Coast Guard, to ensure we're all able to come together in any environment and perform our tasks."
Cooperation between the 44th CST, Coast Guardsmen and local authorities proved to be a smooth and seamless function thanks to the unit's prior familiarization with their interagency partners.
"We've trained with the Gulf Strike Team a number of times before, most recently a year ago in Mobile, Ala.," said Tech. Sgt. Danny Torres, a survey team chief with the 44th CST. "Because of our experiences with each other, we understand each team’s capabilities.”
According to Torres, this allows them to rapidly recognized and address potential threats. Meanwhile, members of the Coast Guard's GST emphasized the importance of the 44th CST’s unique capabilities and skill sets.
"The 44th has mobile labs and scientists able to take a sample and confirm what the agent is on the scene, instead of having to send samples out to a lab, costing us valuable time," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class David Nelson, a response member of the GST. "Seeing how they work opens your eyes to different methods and procedures, as well as the different capabilities they're able to bring to a site."
According to Sgt. 1st Class David Fleischmann, a communication team chief for the 44th CST, police and fire departments will always be the first on the scene and it’s critical for CSTs to know how to integrate with the other emergency responders as soon as they arrive.
The 44th CST is one of the Florida National Guard's two CSTs who provide support to civil authorities in response to CBRNE incidents throughout the state of Florida. Our teams gives authorities the ability to rapidly identify and assess threats in a variety of environments.
"This is a totally different type of mission than anything else in the military," said Fleischmann. "Threats are constantly changing, so all the agencies out here need to be constantly learning and adapting, and that's what we're doing here."
| Date Taken: | 11.14.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 11.16.2016 16:59 |
| Story ID: | 214808 |
| Location: | FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 172 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 44th Civil Support Team conducts interagency training with Coast Guard, by 1LT James Lanza, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
