Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston –
The U.S. Army North Civil Support Training Activity
coordinated and executed a one-of-a-kind training opportunity for the 59th
Chemical Company's Reconnaissance Platoon in New York City from May 16-21.
Soldiers from the platoon spent the week with the Fire
Department of the City of New York, learning about how they prepare for
emergencies and participating in a joint training event with FDNY at
Pennsylvania Station, also known as Penn Station.
The event kicked off with FDNY representatives escorting the
Soldiers throughout New York City to high-profile locations the FDNY would be
responsible for supporting in an emergency. They also participated in joint
training sessions on casualty extraction and casualty treatment.
“The FDNY showed us how they do a man-down drill,” said Ted
Lopez, CSTA’s Hotel Division chief. “It was eye-opening for the Soldiers
because they haven’t had the real-world experience that the FDNY has. It will
stick in their heads forever.”
Penn Station, the busiest passenger transportation facility
in North America, shut down two of their 21 railroad tracks from 9 p.m. to 3
a.m. May 19-20 to allow for the culminating joint training exercise. In the
exercise scenario, a passenger had left a briefcase behind. A joint team of
Soldiers and FDNY Hazardous Materials section entered Penn Station to conduct
site characterization and decontamination.
“You just can’t replicate this training at any military
training complex,” Lopez said. “Both teams were full of energy. This has set a
new bar for our training.”
The Fort Drum-based 59th Chemical Company at New York is
part of the Defense Chemical, Biological,
Radiological and Nuclear Response Force, which ARNORTH is
responsible for certifying annually.
This was the first time an active-duty Army unit had trained
with the FDNY.
“The FDNY were as excited to work with us as we were to work
with them,” Lopez said. He added the unit is currently working with San Antonio
emergency services to plan a similar event locally.