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MCAAP firefighters provide HAZMAT certification

Aug 12, 2009

By Staff Sgt. Shane Slaughter, 319th MPAD.

MCALESTER ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT, Okla. (Aug. 12, 2009)- Looking like something from a science-fiction movie, Pfc. Amanda Lainberger, 395th Ammunition Ordnance Company, Appleton, Wis., works her way across the floor inside her vapor protective suit on her way to stop a simulated leak on an old air tank inside the garage of the McAlester fire station.

"Using the equipment to patch things up helps a lot," said Lainberger.

Lainberger and other Army Reserve Soldiers participating in the Golden Cargo exercise are learning valuable new skills to further enhance their operational readiness in dealing with a multitude of potential incidents that could threaten human life or the environment.

"This is a forty-hour course that teaches how to identify containers, contain leaks, select the proper personal protective equipment and taking care of the PPE," said Shift Capt. Jeff Humphries, MCAAP fire department.

Participants are presented scenarios in which they must plan by using chemical, biological and radiological manuals and respond accordingly.

"They present the plan, and we critique," said Humphries.

The students were familiarized with the different types of equipment and how to decontaminate large numbers of people.

"We try to get them proficient enough that they can work alone, and train them on how to get information," said Humphries.

The Soldiers are trained in the use of various chemical-detection devices, including Drager tubes, which draw in vapors to the Smith's Detection System, which is an infrared spectrograph that can check solids, liquids and gasses. These systems are portable and can be carried on trucks to the scene.

The firefighters training the Soldiers take their mission very seriously.

"If they are not properly trained, irreversible long-term health effects or death could occur," said Humphries. "Like chess, everything is calculated and deliberate."

Upon completion, Soldiers receive a Department of Defense certificate. They are required to be recertified every two years.

"The training they receive over the two years is cumulative and counts toward recertification," said Humphries.