BEAUFORT, S.C. - The National Guard will be conducting search and rescue operations in a rubble pile during the Vigilant Guard 2008 exercise April 21 - 24.
The Response International Group (RIG) from Oklahoma City built a structure that simulates a reinforced cement building that has collapsed.
The company has been in business for nine years but the experience of some employees covers almost 35 years including some who responded to the Oklahoma City bombing.
"At the Murrah building (Oklahoma City), there were a lot of things missing or lacking with the first responders," said Mike Shannon, owner of RIG and retired chief of special operations for the Oklahoma City Fire Department. "I wanted to make a difference for the community."
The structure being used at Vigilant Guard took about two weeks to build and is 2,000 tons of concrete, steel reinforcements and rubble. The pile is bowl shaped so that the RIG team can observe and assist in an emergency situation. All of the tunnels begin on the outside and run to the center of the structure.
This structure will be rebuilt and adjusted every night to set up for another day of rescue work.
"It's a challenge because the structure is dynamic, everything has to be replaced," said Shannon. "If (the structure) is not maintained it can cause a catastrophic collapse."
The Beaufort Fire Department will be taking over the structure after Vigilant Guard. It will be available to rescue squads and emergency response teams for training.
The RIG team builds these piles mainly for the National Guard and other military organizations. "There are 23 structures at Fort Gruber, Okla. that are a mixture of collapse and hazmat," said Shannon. He hopes to have another five built there by the end of 2009.