Guard Exercises Blizzard Response
BISMARCK, N.D. — About 100 N.D. National Guard Members and civilian emergency responders participated in a blizzard response exercise Nov.15-17 at Fraine Barracks. The Guard teamed with the N.D. Department of Emergency Services and local emergency managers from Morton and Burleigh Counties, and the city of Bismarck. The exercise simulated National Guard partnering with civilian authorities responding to a paralyzing statewide blizzard. Top photo: N.D. Guard members participating in the blizzard response exercise discuss EMAC (Emergency Management Assistance Compact) requests as part of the exercise play. From left: Sgt. 1st Class Jen Fischer, Senior Master Sgt. Kim Potter, Maj. Kim Miller and Master Sgt. Cassandra Colling.
N.D. Guard units participating in the exercise included the military support section (domestic operations) team of Joint Force Headquarters and elements of the 119th Wing, 68th Troop Command and 141st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. The N.D. National Guard is essential to domestic emergency operations as the first military responder to disasters in order to save lives and preserve property when ordered by the governor to engage. The Guard’s military support section trains to assist with wildfires, floods, tornados, as well as blizzards. The N.D. Guard partnered with National Guard Bureau for exercise design and execution.
Col. Tad Schauer, left, director of the N.D. National Guard's military support, discusses exercise play with Lt. Col. Brad Brown and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Amber Wilson during last weekend's blizzard response exercise at Fraine Barracks in Bismarck.
Benin Partners with N.D. for Emergency Operations Training
Incident Command Systems Training was conducted Nov. 18-22 in Cotonou, the capital of the Republic of Benin, which has been one of N.D. National Guard's state partners since 2014. Sherry Adams, N.D. Department of Health and Bill Brown from the N.D. Department of Emergency Services facilitated the first day's training. Other participants included representatives from the National Agency for Civil Protection along with Benin National Firefighters. Lt. Col. Mark McEvers and Maj. Karl Altenburg, served as facilitators of the National Emergency Operations Center Curriculum.
Participants of the disaster preparedness training in Benin work together in the Republic of Benin. The exercise was conducted from Nov. 18-22 in Cotonou, the nation's capital.
Civil Support Team Exercises at Bismarck Event Center
The survey section of the 81st Civil Support Team (CST) conducted an air monitoring and communications exercise at the Bismarck Events Center on Nov. 14. The goal was to practice air monitoring of a large indoor space and identify areas that might have difficulty maintaining communications and equipment readings in order to plan how to overcome those shortfalls. The team practiced using their BG-4 rebreathers for over two hours instead of the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). They are able to stay in suit and downrange at least two times longer on rebreathers than SCBA but using the former is more physically and mentally demanding.
TAG Advisory Board
Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann hosted an employee advisory board meeting with N.D. National Guard representatives at the N.D. Air Guard Base, in Fargo on Nov. 15. The board is comprised of Guard members and civilians of all duty statuses, to include federal title 32 and title 5 technicians, Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) Soldiers and Airmen and state employees. The participants are tasked with evaluating workplace procedures and policies and exploring potential improvements.
DAG Tours Air Base
Brig. Gen. Jackie Huber, Deputy Adjutant General (DAG), left, traveled to Fargo to receive a N.D. Air National Guard mission update and to participate in a familiarization tour at the Air National Guard Base on Nov. 20.
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