CAMP WILLIAMS, Utah – The Utah National Guard’s Region VIII Homeland Response Force is conducting its 2022 readiness validation exercise at Camp Williams, Utah Aug. 3-7.
“This year’s evaluation exercise is particularly important. In light of the effects of COVID nationwide, it has been more than three years since the Region VIII HRF received an evaluation,” said Lt. Col. Erick Wiedmeier, commander of the Region VIII HRF. “We are anxious to demonstrate that our service members are trained and ready to serve the citizens of our nation during any situation.”
The HRF mission involves identifying, training and maintaining a deployable force of 500-plus service members ready to respond within the continental United States to a catastrophic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or all-hazard event to mitigate suffering and loss of life. Every three years, the HRF must pass an evaluation to certify the teams are mission ready.
During the exercise, the HRF will demonstrate the ability to rapidly deploy, convoy to the incident site, set up, and conduct individual and collective tasks over 36 hours. Tasks include search and extraction, decontamination, medical triage and stabilization, and fatality search and recovery.
UTNG’s Region VIII HRF comprises trained and ready domestic emergency responders capable of managing a catastrophic event in the region, including Utah, Colorado, Montana, North and South Dakota, and Wyoming.