It's Official...

Archren · 10-15-2011, 12:23 PM

My unit (Joint Task Force 71, part of the Texas National Guard) is, as of Thursday, officially the third Homeland Response Force to be certified in the US. HARD work getting there, but we did it.

For those unfamiliar with why we exist... Ultimately our purpose is to support civilian authorities with disasters (natural or man-made, terrorist or otherwise - such as the plane that hit the Echelon building in Austin or the chemical plant fire last week in Waxahachie) until such time that they either get things under control, or federal assets get called in (FEMA). We are the bridge between local response and federal support.

Mostly we deal with CBRNE (chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear/high-yield explosive) incidents - for instance, we are not fitted to deal with a fire itself, but in the case of the chemical plant, we can support casualty extraction, chemical decontamination, and medical triage.

Link to an article about our training and some photos:

http://www.theeagle.com/local/Troops...aster--6714485

Archren · 10-15-2011, 02:08 PM

Aerial view of our decon lines set up at TEEX (Texas Engineering and Extension Service) Disaster City.

azoomm · 10-15-2011, 05:32 PM

Awesome.

Captain Morgan · 10-15-2011, 10:32 PM

Congrats. I hope you all never get anywhere near my hometown.

Archren · 10-16-2011, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Morgan

Congrats. I hope you all never get anywhere near my hometown.

Probably wouldn't be my unit.. but the OH HRF was the first to go through validation. :-)

Particle Man · 10-16-2011, 08:39 AM

Yikes

njchopper87 · 10-17-2011, 04:15 PM

Nicely done. Sounds like a painful challenge for sure.

Cutty72 · 10-17-2011, 06:06 PM

Awesome. How did your unit get picked for that? Is it a state decision since you are guard?

Pretty sure all of ND units should be qualified now after the Floods/tornados/fires/blizzards we have delt with the last few years!

Archren · 10-18-2011, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cutty72

Awesome. How did your unit get picked for that? Is it a state decision since you are guard?

Pretty sure all of ND units should be qualified now after the Floods/tornados/fires/blizzards we have delt with the last few years!

I think it's a joint DoD/NGB decision honestly, based on resources within a given FEMA region. We cover FEMA Region 6. While every state within a region may not have a HRF, each state should have a CERFP and a CST or two.

What you guys dealt with is a slightly different animal from what we are designed to do - CBRNE and building collapse (casualty search & extraction). For instance, we weren't called up for the Bastrop fires out here since we are not equipped to firefight, but our CST was called for the fire at the Waxahachie chemical plant so they could help local responders determine what was being ejected and what kind of HAZMAT equipment they would need in order to deal with the disaster.

Rangerscott · 10-17-2011, 11:23 PM

Cool beans. Stay safe.

10-15-2011, 12:23 PM	#1
Archren Sham WOW Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: ATX Moto: 2007 Ducati 1098 Posts: 2,741	It's Official... My unit (Joint Task Force 71, part of the Texas National Guard) is, as of Thursday, officially the third Homeland Response Force to be certified in the US. HARD work getting there, but we did it. For those unfamiliar with why we exist... Ultimately our purpose is to support civilian authorities with disasters (natural or man-made, terrorist or otherwise - such as the plane that hit the Echelon building in Austin or the chemical plant fire last week in Waxahachie) until such time that they either get things under control, or federal assets get called in (FEMA). We are the bridge between local response and federal support. Mostly we deal with CBRNE (chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear/high-yield explosive) incidents - for instance, we are not fitted to deal with a fire itself, but in the case of the chemical plant, we can support casualty extraction, chemical decontamination, and medical triage. Link to an article about our training and some photos: http://www.theeagle.com/local/Troops...aster--6714485 __________________ Photography "The Vincent was like a bullet that went straight; the Ducati is like the magic bullet that went sideways and hit JFK and the Governor of Texas at the same time. It was impossible." - Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

10-15-2011, 05:32 PM	#3
azoomm moderator chick Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Hill Country TX Moto: Pasta Rockets Posts: 8,917	Awesome.

10-15-2011, 10:32 PM	#4
Captain Morgan Let's do another U-turn Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Indiana Moto: 2009 V-Strom Posts: 3,816	Congrats. I hope you all never get anywhere near my hometown.

10-16-2011, 08:39 AM	#6
Particle Man Custom User Title Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Central NY Moto: 2003 SV650S Posts: 14,959	Yikes

10-17-2011, 11:23 PM	#10
Rangerscott Viff6N Mutated Warrior Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Texas Moto: '01 Honda VFR 800 & '09 ER-6N Posts: 8,704	Cool beans. Stay safe.