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View Full Version : It's Official...

Archren
10-15-2011, 11:23 AM
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-train-for-national-disaster--6714485

http://www.theeagle.com/assets/7109776/101411guard1.jpg

http://www.theeagle.com/assets/7109777/101411guard2_w500.jpg
Archren
10-15-2011, 01:08 PM
Aerial view of our decon lines set up at TEEX (Texas Engineering and Extension Service) Disaster City.
azoomm
10-15-2011, 04:32 PM
Awesome.
Captain Morgan
10-15-2011, 09:32 PM
Congrats. I hope you all never get anywhere near my hometown.
Archren
10-15-2011, 11:14 PM
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, 07:39 AM
Yikes
njchopper87
10-17-2011, 03:15 PM
Nicely done. Sounds like a painful challenge for sure.
Cutty72
10-17-2011, 05:06 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! :lol:
Rangerscott
10-17-2011, 10:23 PM
Cool beans. Stay safe.
Porkchop
10-17-2011, 10:39 PM
CBRNE is scary stuff. You're braver than I am. Stay safe!!!
Adeptus_Minor
10-18-2011, 01:11 AM
Good job. :dthumb:
I'm glad you guys are there to do what we hope you never have to do.
Archren
10-18-2011, 09:35 AM
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! :lol:

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.