The 102nd Civil Support Team, Oregon Army National Guard, mobilized today at Portland International Raceway during TOPOFF 4, a large multi-state, anti-terrorism training exercise. The 102nd CST supported first response capabilities simultaneously with thousands of participants across the United States in three locations: Arizona, Guam, and Oregon. This global TOPOFF exercise trained local governments to federal agencies with the following objectives: prevention of terrorist attacks, joint integrated response, and disaster recovery. The exercise began locally when a simulated bomb exploded in north Portland.
The 102nd CST coordinated with the Incident Command System (ICS) and provided Hazardous Materials expertise when the training scenario determined the explosion to be a "dirty bomb" containing radioactive material. ICS integrated the Oregon National Guard with civilian agencies, such as Police, Fire Department, Red Cross, FBI and Environmental Protection agency, in or der to communicate and combine efforts. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Ferrell, 102nd CST Commander, said the National Guard provided great support to ensure first responders in Oregon are as trained as possible for a large-scale disaster.
Contact Info: MAJ Michael Braibish, Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Officer