Photo By Tech. Sgt. Brandon Boyd | Members of the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd CBRNE Response Element (CRE) meet...... read more read more
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Airmen of the Oregon National Guard's emergency response team met with civilian authorities from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) today in order to exchange information regarding capabilities and coordinating resources during an emergency.
Members of the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Detachment-1 Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High-yield Explosives (CBRNE) Response Enterprise (CRE) work with civilian authorities to respond to man-made and natural disasters.
In the meeting between the two groups, OEM officials were briefed on the emergency response team’s mission capabilities in terms of emergency equipment and personnel so the civilian officials could understand the best way to employ those resources in the case of an emergency situation. The OEM team also shared how their office coordinates resources around the state during past and future emergency situations.
“We know that the military brings tremendous resources to bear so we want to make sure we have visibility and knowledge of those resources so we can leverage those resources and direct them to support our civilian population during a disaster response,” said Andrew Phelps, Director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.
The mission of the OEM is to lead statewide efforts to develop and enhance preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation capabilities to protect the lives, property and environment of the whole community.
Andrew Phelps, Director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management shared his takeaways from this familiarization event.
“It’s a capability that we don’t get to see very often here in Oregon during real-world incidents, so being able to get an overview and a tour and see some of the equipment and meet some of the folks who are responsible for managing and using the equipment was really very impressive. It’s important to know this capability exists in our back yard to support Oregonians regardless of what kind of ‘bad day’ we may have,” said Phelps.
Following the presentation by both teams on mission capabilities, there was an open question and answer period. Participants then walked through a static display showing some of the equipment the CRE is trained to use in rescue, triage and recovery situations in case of a disaster.
“I think folks would be surprised to know what the military can bring to bear during a response. I think we all see the overseas peacekeeping mission but I don’t think we are as familiar all the time with the defense support of civil authorities and the mission that the Oregon National Guard, in particular provides right here at home,” said Phelps.
Within the structure of the Oregon National Guard’s CRE, the unit is a joint mission, with the Soldiers and Airmen taking on different roles to create the team. The command and control structure is a blend of both forces.
“This is all about streamlined coordination and collaboration: understanding the assets they have to be able to most appropriately respond to some kind of event and for us to communicate our needs,” said Lt. Col. Oliver J. Wisco, commander, 142nd Fighter Wing Detachment-1, CRE.
In terms of future outcomes, many from the Oregon National Guard’s CRE expressed optimism in getting plugged in to the statewide community of emergency managers in order to impact the community in a positive way.
“I’m excited to see where these meetings will push us forward and evolve our mission and hopefully we will be able to have a bigger impact in the community,” said Capt. Daniel Vawter, Support Flight Commander, 142nd Detachment-1 CRE.
One thing is for certain, the members of the Oregon Air National Guard stand ready, alert and poised to assist if any disaster comes to pass.
“We look up into the sky and see the F-15s flying over sometimes and it’s pretty cool but to know that our citizen-soldiers are right here in our backyard, ready to protect us from wildfires and floods or a Cascadia earthquake…it’s a good feeling,” said Phelps.
| Date Taken: | 02.09.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.11.2018 20:15 |
| Story ID: | 265567 |
| Location: | PORTLAND AIR GUARD STATION, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 288 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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