SPOKANE, Wash. - Soldiers and Airmen with the Washington National Guard Region 10 Homeland Response Force and CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package trained alongside the 92nd Logistic Readiness Squadron on rapid deployment air-load operations at Fairchild Air Force Base May 10-11.
During the two-day training, Guard members loaded trucks, trailers and pallets carrying enough supplies and equipment to support five days of operation onto a static C-130J Super Hercules crewed by Airmen with the Montana National Guard. Before loading, the trucks, trailers and pallets were subjected to active-duty joint inspection procedures.
“This is a true joint training event between the Washington and Montana National Guard and active duty,” said Senior Master Sgt. Adam Brunneman, senior enlisted advisor for 10th HRF-East, Washington Air National Guard. “This was also the first time we practiced loading onto a C-130J airframe.”
The HRF and CERFP are part of a National Guard initiative to integrate Guard units with federal and local civilian emergency response personnel in instances of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear disasters. Each element must be able to quickly mobilize, deploy and self-sustain for five days of operation.
“The HRF has to be able to respond anywhere within our FEMA region or any other region that may request our assistance,” said Brunneman. “This may require airlift capabilities for our equipment and personnel.”
The training provided the opportunity to improve the operational readiness of the HRF by providing the training needed to deploy rapidly by air, if needed, for a unified domestic response.
“The air-load training demonstrates that capability,” said Brunneman. “It helps us identify potential limiting factors in our processes. We are only exercising a small portion of each element’s assets, but this still provides us with valuable training and exposure to what will be expected if we needed to airlift our assets.”