DUNBAR, W.Va. – The West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) joined forces with more than 20 local, state and federal agencies for an all-day search-and-rescue training exercise on the Kanawha River Nov. 15.
More than 150 first responders and volunteers took part in the training, gaining critical knowledge and hands-on experience with emergency response command-and-control coordination, boat rescues, dive team rescues and helicopter hoist operations.
“The size and scope of this exercise, with so many different agencies playing important roles from planning to execution, makes it one of the largest such exercises in the history of West Virginia,” said Army Lt. Col. Wally Hatfield, chief of the West Virginia Swift Water Rescue Team.
The exercise scenario involved the mock collision of two large vessels on the Kanawha River – an industrial barge and a large civilian stern-wheeler pleasure craft – resulting in about 30 casualties requiring rescue and medical treatment or recovery. Responders and volunteers broke into teams focused on their specialties.
Members of the Charleston Fire Department and Charleston Police Department dive teams located and recovered sunken mannequins in the murky waters.
The West Virginia Swift Water Rescue Team, (WVSWRT) comprised of members of the WVNG and the Clendenin and Glasgow, West Virginia volunteer fire departments and other local and statewide first responder agencies, located and retrieved mannequins from the riverbanks.
WVSWRT responders and volunteers also participated in helicopter hoist operations, being lifted from the chilly waters of the Kanawha River by a UH-60M Blackhawk helicopter operated by the West Virginia Army National Guard’s Company C, 1-150th Assault Battalion.
The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Huntington provided overall operational security and safety for the exercise.
“This was a tremendous opportunity for us to engage with so many different agencies and really exemplifies our, ‘one team, one fight’ approach to these type of real-world operations,” said Lt. Cmdr. Rob Reinhart, executive officer of the unit. “All responders coming together to manage an incident from one perspective is critical, and this exercise goes a long way to helping make that happen.”
The teams recovered mannequins and moved them to a central medical staging area, where members of the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority conducted decontamination and medical triage before directing the “victims” to medical facilities.
The last group of participants maintained overall operational control and communications and ensured the exercise followed proper National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Control System (ICS) protocols required for all Federal Emergency Management Agency accredited exercises.
“From a management standpoint, the exercise was intense,” said Shana Clendenin, watch center supervisor for the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “From initial notification that the mock-incident happened, to staging of assets including equipment and personnel, to deployment of teams, to recovery and triage of victims, the incident command team worked diligently to make sure everyone was in the proper place doing the proper thing to manage the situation correctly. With so many moving pieces, and over such a long operational period, it was a challenge. But one that I think everyone met professionally and enthusiastically.”
After more than 12 hours on the river, responders left the exercise tired and chilled, but excited and ready for next year.
“We could not have asked for a better training event,” said Hatfield. “I can’t begin to thank all those who helped plan and execute this valuable and realistic exercise. From the growth we saw between this event last year and this year, the sky is the limit on how important an annual training like this can become and help us be better prepared to assist the citizens of West Virginia when they need us.”
Agencies participating in the exercise included Dunbar Police, Dunbar Fire, Charleston Police, Charleston Fire, Wheeling Fire, Saint Albans Police, Saint Albans Fire, Nitro Police, Nitro Fire, South Charleston Police, South Charleston Fire, Dunbar Public Works, the Kanawha/Putnam Emergency Planning Committee, Metro 911, West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Kanawha County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority, U.S. Coast Guard, West Virginia Army National Guard, Clendenin Fire and Glasgow Fire.