MADISON, Wis., - Imagine Alpine Valley Music Theatre packed with fans of several rock groups performing a joint concert in the cold, crisp air of a late March evening.
As the bands play, concert-goers in the VIP Lounge and concessions area begin to experience burning in their throats and on their skin, as well as difficulty breathing. Panic erupts as fans flee the venue.
Meanwhile, local law enforcement receives a call from a group claiming responsibility for a weapons of mass destruction attack at the concert, targeting musicians it claims exploit animals.
While the above scenario was imaginary, the stakes were real for the Wisconsin National Guard's 54th Civil Support Team, which was being evaluated by an Army North team for certification as a full-time emergency or terror attack response unit. The verdict: the 54th CST was deemed fully trained and mission ready.
"There's a lot of training and a lot of experience on our team," said Lt. Col. Timothy Covington, 54th CST commander. "The team is capable, confident and can perform its mission."
Brig. Gen. Scott Legwold, joint staff director for the Wisconsin National Guard, agreed. "This external evaluation by U.S. Army North [5th Army] confirms the 54th CST's readiness to deploy anywhere in the state at any time to respond to the needs of federal, state and local authorities," he said. "Governmental leaders at all levels and first responders can have full confidence in this unit's capabilities. The evaluation ratings by ARNORTH were top-notch and are a true testament to the dedication and professionalism of each of the 22 members of the team."
Evaluations such as last week's test at Alpine Valley are done every 18 months. Record snowfalls postponed this particular evaluation from its original December date.
The 54th CST, first certified as an operational unit in February 2006, is a joint Army and Air National Guard response unit mandated by Congress and designed for emergencies or terror attacks involving weapons of mass destruction, natural disasters or toxic industrial chemical accidents.
The Madison-based unit - with 22 full-time members and two who drill once a month - is always available to respond without notice and, because it is federally funded, without cost to the requesting agency. The unit supports local first responders by identifying and assessing chemical, biological or radiological hazards, as well as providing medical, communications and technical support and advice.
If additional National Guard troops are required, the 54th CST also serves as an advance party to coordinate with local authorities.
54th CST members report to their Madison armory and deploy a liaison element to the site within 90 minutes of receiving an alert. The remainder of the unit moves to the site within hours of receiving the alert, and begins site inspection shortly after arrival.
Primarily a state asset, the unit can be deployed across the nation if needed.
Though it is a military unit, the 54th CST does not assume control of an incident area, does not provide a security cordon, does not offer emergency medical services and does not perform mass decontamination or site remediation services.
Instead, it provides expertise in key specialties to assist other agencies and first-responder units.
The 54th CST boasts 14 different military specialties, to include hazardous materials modeling, nuclear medicine science officer, satellite communications specialists, physician's assistant and weapons of mass destruction survey personnel.
However, Covington pointed out that his unit does not sit on the sidelines. He recalled a serious traffic accident witnessed by 54th CST members returning from a training event in Michigan. The team pulled over, began triaging injured motorists and providing medical aid, performed traffic control and contacted authorities.
"When law enforcement officials arrived, they looked around and asked what they could do to assist," Covington said. "That speaks volumes to our capabilities."
The 54th CST was on site to assist with the chemical plant fire in Columbus last May, and supported the Dane County bomb squad last month when responders to a house fire in La Crosse discovered home-made chemicals in the basement. They also supported the Dane County bomb squad and Secret Service for President Barack Obama's visit to Madison last November.
Covington estimated that, annually, the 54th CST receives eight to 12 technical calls for assistance, and provides on-site support up to three times. The unit also conducts "stand-by" support missions - air monitoring and radiological detection - for up to six large venue events each year, such as the upcoming Madison visit by the Dali Lama and this summer's PGA Championship in Sheboygan County.
When not supporting civilian agencies, the 54th CST is networking with them to promote more efficient collaboration in the event of an emergency. The unit also devotes much of its time to professional development and education to maintain individual certification and skill sets, and conducts full-scale exercises on a monthly basis.
"I think we provide an invaluable capability that is unique," Covington said. "The state has hazardous material teams, explosive ordnance disposal teams and there are other assets available at the federal level. We bridge that gap in information to incident commanders at any level.
"I'm proud of the job these guys and gals do," he added. "I hope they'll never have to do it."