BUTLERVILLE, Ind. — Smoke rolls through the rubble, adding an eerie feeling to the scene of injured civilians emerging from the rubble of a simulated disaster scene. Soldiers and Airmen, all from the Ohio National Guard Homeland Response Force, slowly search the perimeter of the site, marking entry points and calling for survivors.
There are 10 HRFs across the nation — one for every region of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They are trained to react to homeland disasters quickly, to increase the nation's ability to save lives in potential chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive disaster situations.
The Ohio National Guard's HRF trained July 25-29 at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, located in South Central Indiana, to receive its evaluation and obtain validation as a mission-capable unit. Ohio's was the first HRF to face this sort of evaluation.
Lt. Col. Jason Reckard, a member of Ohio's HRF and a Youngstown, Ohio, native, expressed a mix of emotions with regard to the HRF.
"It's exciting being a part of this, and it's very humbling at the same time," Reckard said during an interview while the exercise was still under way. "Being the first HRF to go through this kind of external evaluation is kind of scary, too, but it's reassuring to know that there are Soldiers out there that are trained, equipped and ready to react to disasters like these at the drop of a hat."
The HRF evaluation was conducted by the West Virginia National Guard's Joint Integrated Training and Education Center, which specializes in homeland defense operations and education.
"The trainers are taking us through a 'crawl, walk, run' program as they teach us," Reckard said. "We are getting some great training and the instructors are taking the time to make sure we learn to do everything right. Then at the end, when we reach our run stage, we will get the opportunity to really show them how well we've learned to do things."
According to Capt. Audrey L. Fielding, HRF security element commander and a Hudson, Ohio, native, one of the biggest training challenges was just getting used to new and unfamiliar equipment.
"Our guys really had to adapt to training in the Level 'C' hazardous material suits," Fielding said. "It's not the easiest suit to wear in summer heat, but all of our guys knew coming into this that the HRF would be a challenging mission, and they have really embraced it. The Soldiers are taking this really seriously."
Many of the Ohio HRF members said they were impressed with the realism provided by Muscatatuck's training facilities. Spc. Holli L. Gabbard, a chemical specialist with the HRF and a Hillsboro, Ohio, native, said the training lanes gave her a great opportunity to operate exactly how she would do so in a real disaster.
"The role-players had all this makeup on that made them look like real casualties — that made it more realistic because we could determine what care we give, and who we give it to, based on the severity of the casualties coming into the decontamination station," Gabbard said.
Added Reckard: "I've been to the South after Hurricane Katrina, and I've reacted to three or four tornadoes. And this place is so realistic, that every time I drive on post it feels like driving back in time to Mississippi."
Despite having to crawl around in real concrete rubble in very hot chemical suits, in weather with temperatures reaching a 105-degree heat index, HRF members said they are motivated about their mission and are excited at the opportunity presented by being the first HRF to stand up for evaluation.
"I am very proud to be a part of this unit," Fielding said. "It's a great opportunity to be part of an organization whose sole purpose is to stop suffering and save lives."
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