Andersen Airmen ensure disaster preparedness

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Shane Dunaway
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  It's better to be safe than sorry.

Although it's a tad cliché, the adage perfectly describes the role of the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron's readiness and emergency management flight - a flight sight-focused on preparing the base for brushes with disaster.

Nearly a dozen readiness and emergency management team members ensure wing readiness by writing plans to help prevent, prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate natural disasters, major accidents, hazardous materials incidents, weapons of mass destruction event and any attack involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive means, according to Senior Airman James Blackwell, 36th CES readiness and emergency management flight logistics and resources.

In addition to planning, the flight also conducts numerous training courses, including CBRNE defense, explosive ordnance reconnaissance and base emergency preparedness orientation. The flight teaches approximately eight CBRNE defense classes per month and as well as maintains all response, detection and personal protective equipment to ensure all assets are 100 percent ready at a moment's notice.

"We use [our training] as a deterrent so the enemy will know that we can defend ourselves if they attack us with chemical and biological agents," said Airman 1st Class Nathan Woods, 36th CES readiness and emergency management flight logistics and resources.

Another critical responsibility of the flight is to respond on-scene as part of a mobile emergency operations center equipped with response and detection equipment for any type of disaster. They also maintain and man the emergency operations center, which is the main command and control center for any incident requiring base response.

Though the most recent real world accident to occur in Andersen history was the B-52 crash on Liberation Day, which resulted in the loss of six lives, the last real world accident to physically occur on base was the B-2 crash in February 2008.

"Even though it was the most expensive accident in Air Force history, at least no lives were lost, and luckily it crashed where it did," Airman Blackwell said. "As it was, it didn't cause any additional damage to facilities or personnel in the surrounding areas, but it's entirely possible for another incident of this nature to occur in an area that's not so 'convenient.' People should [really] keep that in the back of their minds."

Airmen from the flight receive their technical training during a three-month course at the Chemical Defense Training Facility in Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. During the training, they are put into contact with live nerve agents, which provides invaluable training to prepare them for their operational mission.

"The best part is helping people," Airman Blackwell said. "I always feel good after I teach a CBRNE defense survival skills class because I know that I'm giving people the tools they need to survive in a contaminated environment. If the things I teach people helps to save just one life, then to me, it's all worth it."