2011 Vigilant Guard exercise kicks off in Jefferson County

Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

The Wisconsin National Guard's 54th Civil Support Team (CST), in coordination with several state and local agencies, participated in the first of several planned events of the 2011 Vigilant Guard large-scale exercise.

The exercise began in Jefferson County at approximately 8 a.m. Saturday (May 14) with a scenario where Boy Scouts, hiking on the Glacial Drumlin Trail, reported a chemical leak from a fertilizer tanker. Local emergency responders responded to the request under the exercise scenario and determined they would need extra support. By 9:30 a.m. the 54th CST advance party arrived on scene, with the main body arriving shortly thereafter.

The 54th CST's mission is to support local and state authorities at domestic emergency incident sites by identifying agents and substances, assessing current and projected consequences, advising on response measures, and assisting with requests for additional military support. Civilian authorities are always the first to respond to an incident - the National Guard is the nation's first military responder, supporting the governor and state emergency management agency.

"The CST provided safety of the scene, data modeling, communications and liaison between the incident commander and public health authorities," said Lt. Col. Timothy Covington, 54th CST commander. "This was a great opportunity to introduce our capabilities to local agencies and to show how those resources might be used in the event of a large scale disaster."

First Assistant Fire Chief Timothy Dorn of Jefferson County Fire Department, the incident commander for this event, agreed with Covington.

"This was a tremendous opportunity to learn about the resources, equipment and training that the CST can provide," Dorn said. "The CST was the difference between a prolonged [situation] and a fast and efficient resolution of this exercise."

Along with Jefferson County Fire Department and the CST, other local agencies participating in the event included the Lake Mills Fire Department, Johnson Creek Fire Department, Jefferson County Health Department and the Jefferson County Sherriff's Department.

"A large majority of the fire departments and emergency services personnel on scene today are volunteers," Dorn said. "This exercise provided a great opportunity to learn about collaborating across multiple volunteer organizations. I'd like to speak with Jefferson County about when we could schedule our next exercise."

The Vigilant Guard exercise continues for the remainder of the week with scenarios ranging from tornados and earthquakes to chemical spills and cyber attacks. Nearly 3,000 participants - representing up to 48 federal, state, county, volunteer and private agencies - will respond to complex mock emergencies in several communities across the state during the exercise.