Photo By Staff Sgt. Manda Walters | Soldiers with the South Dakota Army National Guard's Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion,...... read more read more
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FORT PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Army National Guard’s Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery Quick Response Force responded within minutes to their first call regarding water backing up through manholes and grates June 4 on Marian Street in Fort Pierre.
“The mission of the QRF is to respond to integrity issues with the levees or critical infrastructure in a timely fashion,” said Capt. Keith Voss, the task force 147th battle captain at the Emergency Operation Center in Pierre. “The QRF always sits at the ready at the Stanley County High School staging area in Fort Pierre,” he said.
“The QRF command is prompted to engage when National Guard soldiers and airmen or city workers and residents observe and recognize an integrity break,” said Voss. “It is a coordinated effort with the city and the Army Corps of Engineers to determine the best utilization of available resources when that happens,” he said.
“The reported location was investigated by a 147th QRF team leader and it was found there were four places where the water was backing up through manholes and grates,” Voss said.
This was the first call response for the Fort Pierre or Alpha Battery, 147th QRF.
“The QRF was mobilized and we sprang into action at the site,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jason Zok, Fort Pierre QRF non-commissioned officer in charge. The soldiers put down plastic then secured it with sandbags in a square around the second of four openings. Then a relay system quickly moved sandbags off a Load Handling System onto the developing levee, until the perimeter was built up to a height of approximately four feet.
“We will continue to monitor these sites as the Army Corps of Engineers continues to open up the flow of water from Oahe Dam,” said Voss. “So far, every four hours the QRF command has been alerted to water issues at critical points throughout the Pierre and Fort Pierre communities.”
The QRF will remain at the ready to address levee breeches and control flooding.
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.05.2011 14:45 |
| Story ID: | 71631 |
| Location: | PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 96 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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