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GRAYLING, Mich. — The Michigan National Guard's 272nd Regional Support Group's Rapid Reaction Forces (RRF) partnered with local emergency services for Exercise Northern Exposure 2024 at Camp Grayling from June 23-27, 2024. This annual training aimed to enhance cooperation among military personnel, local police, sheriff's departments, and firehouses across Crawford, Oswego, Cheboygan, and Roscommon Counties, putting participants through various emergency scenarios.
Camp Grayling, Michigan's largest National Guard training site, served as the backdrop for this critical exercise. The Rapid Reaction Forces, a unit trained for swift deployment in emergencies, worked alongside local emergency responders to navigate complex scenarios designed to test their readiness.
The exercise included simulations such as an active shooter event, where the 1776th Military Police Company from Taylor, Michigan, collaborated with local emergency responders to manage the situation.
"All it takes is one bad calendar day, and it could be a real thing," said Jon McFarland, a firefighter and EMT with the Grayling Fire Department. "You never know what could happen, so it’s good for the people in the county to see what we can handle, who we can count on and see all of us working cohesively together."
In a simulated active shooter scenario, the 1776th Military Police Company, collaborated with local emergency responders to manage a coordinated response. The exercise involved clearing the barracks, treating the wounded on-site, and transporting them to local hospitals based on the severity of their injuries.
"The nice thing about having this kind of relationship is the availability," McFarland noted. "Having trained medical people that can do wound care is important. If we ever get into a triage situation, it really helps, and that’s what is really good about having the military close by."
The 1776th Military Police Company set up treatment tents and provided medics to assist. "Were this a real event, we would use the parade field at Camp Grayling to helicopter the wounded to different hospitals, ensuring no single hospital is overwhelmed," McFarland explained.
Simultaneously, the 1461st Transportation Company, part of the 272nd RSG, responded to simulated riots in Cheboygan and conducted perimeter patrols around key sites. "This training helps us develop our skills and strengthen our abilities," said Master Sgt. Corinna Juarez, a senior truckmaster with the 1461st Transportation Company from Jackson, Michigan. "This training gives the younger soldiers the chance to learn and grow so they can develop the confidence to perform in a real-life setting."
Juarez observed her soldiers managing access to a wastewater treatment plant, a critical infrastructure site. "It is important for our soldiers to know how to maintain command and control of any situation they are dealt," she stated. Alongside them were local police, who monitored the soldiers to provide feedback at the end of each day. "They help us gain a better understanding of what our mission is because they do it all the time," Juarez added.
The exercise also tested the soldiers' response to a simulated bomb threat. "While patrolling the area, the exercise provided threats the Soldiers need to know how to handle, like a bomb that was planted to test them for their knowledge of what to do with that hazard," Juarez said. Other RRF soldiers were deployed to various areas deemed crucial for the preservation of the region and its residents.
"It was a real eye-opener working with the different entities," said Spec. Dylan Latoroco, a motor transport operator with the 1461st Trans Co. "It really exposed me to a lot of different things I don’t normally get to see, and it was really great to see how everyone worked together to build a stronger connection to form a cohesive unit."
Latoroco, a former volunteer firefighter from Pennsylvania, appreciated the comprehensive nature of the training. "Being on the incident command side of the operation was different," he said. "Seeing it from behind the scenes and working with the Guard and local police, it is a really good eye-opener for when things happen, what is really going on, and how everything gets done."
Exercise Northern Exposure 2024 aimed to test not only the soldiers but also the other organizations they might work with in real emergencies. Not all events were scripted; for instance, while providing security at an electric station, Soldiers assisted a civilian whose car had overheated. Some soldiers provided aid, while others confirmed whether this was part of the exercise.
"This training was meant to purposely add stressors to analyze how everyone would react and evaluate them to see what deficiencies each participant needs to work on," Latoroco noted. "While it was a lot of hard work, the soldiers and everyone else will take away the knowledge of how they can improve themselves and others."
The exercise concluded with thorough evaluations to identify strengths and areas for improvement, providing valuable insights for all participants to enhance their readiness for real emergencies.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2024 15:52 |
| Story ID: | 476489 |
| Location: | GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, US |
| Hometown: | CHEBOYGAN, MICHIGAN, US |
| Hometown: | GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 106 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Heros Unite: Train at Exercise Northern Exposure 2024, by SSG Tegan Kucera, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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