Inaugural Olympic match held at Cannon

by Senior Airman Alexxis Pons Abascal
27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

7/16/2013 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M.  -- Emergency first responders with the 27th Special Operations Wing came together to compete and display capabilities in an Olympic-style competition held at Unity Park here, July 12.

The joint training competition pulled participants from bioenvironmental engineering, emergency management and fire protection.

The HAZMAT Responder Olympics consisted of several three-person teams comprised of one member from each department. Each team competed in timed scenarios covering chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents.

"This training event focuses on team cohesion, communication and response capabilities - but in a fun, competitive atmosphere," said Staff Sgt. Kristen Taylor, 27th Special Operations Aerospace Medicine Squadron Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight. "After participating in this event, competitors will be able to identify their specific strengths as well as areas they need to give more attention to during future training."

Between each scenario, members faced challenges before being able to move on to the next task and downgrade personal protective equipment.

The three agencies involved were selected due to the fact that they already conduct joint training routinely. There is the possibility that other agencies could be involved in future games.

"We wanted to focus on three challenges today that included the CBRN incidents," Taylor said. "We started the teams in Level A with fully encapsulated suits and self-contained breathing apparatuses, and continued downgrading gear.

"The teams were required to operate response equipment for each scenario to sample and identify hazards while suited up," she continued. "Between each scenario, we included a fun challenge that each team had to complete in order to move on to the next scenario."

The event not only brought on a sense of camaraderie between the three agencies, but showcased some of Cannon's best and brightest emergency responders.

"We conduct joint training to better enhance Cannon's response capabilities in preparation for an accident or terrorist event occurring," Taylor said. "In a real world CBRN situation, all competing agencies would enter the scene together to sample, identify and monitor hazards. All agencies would work together for personal protective equipment determination, decontamination planning, downwind hazard areas determination, and evacuation plan development.

"While this event was our trial run, we received the support we hoped for from the participating units," she continued. "Hopefully, we can make future competitions more advanced and involve other agencies."