Soldiers decon Seattle in Homeland Defense exercise
by Spc. Kelly A. Rinehart
SEATTLE (Army News Service, May 20, 2003) -- Last week's national terrorism combative exercise, dubbed TOPOFF 2 as short for "top officials," provided decontamination training for military and civilian emergency response teams.
Both Chicago and Seattle were chosen as areas for hypothetical biological and radioactive explosions. As a participant, Seattle was afforded the opportunity to assess its ability to gather city, state and federal assets in response to a weapons of mass destruction attack.
The exercise even included the creation of a mock media network, VNN, to provide the opportunity for government and civilian media officials to practice the necessary partnership of getting emergency information to the public, according to Kamer Davis, VNN project director.
In Seattle, the Army Reserve soldiers of the 349th Chemical Company, Fort Lawton, Wash., were at Northwest Hospital to provide decontamination of incoming casualties from a nearby mock "dirty bomb" explosion. The scenario was set for the hospital to receive overflow patients after hospitals closer to ground zero were filled.
Before the wounded could be admitted to the hospital, soldiers in full chemical protective gear directed the injured through a series of tents designated for removal of contaminated clothing, washing of radioactive contaminate, and warming.
In recent years the 349th's responsibilities have increased from military decontamination and smoke operations to include response to weapons of mass destruction in the civilian sector. TOPOFF was unique for the 349th because of the required level of cooperation with city, state and federal emergency response teams.
Spc. Trisha M. Grauman, a chemical specialist with the 349th Chemical Company, was happy to have civilian doctors and nurses on site.
"We can focus on our job, and they can focus on theirs," Grauman said.
If a critical patient needed cleaning, medical personnel could move with the patient through the decontamination process helping to stabilize the victim. The teamwork between the civilian and military workers promoted not only the safety of the injured, but also the safety of the remaining personnel and patients.
Grauman said she also hoped that the exposure to one another would decrease any intimidation or misinformation that civilians and military groups might have toward one another.
Working with civilian organizations outside the usual military comfort zone is not the only addition to their mission. Equipment is another area in which the 349th is treading on new ground.
The "aux", or auxiliary, is an off-the-shelf, gas powered pump used by the unit for decontamination. The machinery takes in water from a nearby source, mixes the water with the necessary chemicals or soap, and then pumps the water through the spraying system for decontamination.
Pvt. Kyle D. Evans, quartermaster and chemical equipment repairer with the 349th, was one of three team members in charge of running the "aux" May 12. Along with the "aux", Evans looked after the Army M17A1, another pump system used by the 349th as a backup.
Evans said the M17A1 is not capable of mixing decon solution with the water; it is only capable of moving the water through sprayers. If the "aux" goes down, Evans is able to switch lines from the "aux" to the M17A1 in 35-40 seconds, without loosing water pressure. Buckets with the appropriate solution are pre-positioned in the sprayer lines in the event a change of pumps is required.
Although there is a military operations manual for guidance in repairing the M17A1 in case of breakdown, the "aux" is not a military piece of equipment. Evans explained that he would only be able to check basic sources in case of a malfunction. To help prevent malfunction, the soldier monitoring the "aux" must carefully observe the solution, water temperature, and water pump connectors.
Throughout the decontamination exercise, Evans worked to maintain a 5-percent bleach solution to combat radioactive contaminates, and a water temperature of near 90 degrees.
With the "aux" running at full force, soldiers decontaminated personal items while other soldiers decontaminated casualties, and civilian medical personnel monitored treatment and contamination level of the injured.
(Editor's note: Spc. Kelly A. Rinehart is a member of the 304th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
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