CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
During the morning rush hour recently, Team Charleston members heard reports on local radio stations about a UPS Inc. distribution center being evacuated and the area being cordoned off because of a suspicious substance.
It was around 7 a.m. when an employee in the Summerville center reported a suspicious substance in a shipping container and was complaining of difficulty breathing along with skin and eye irritation. This caused the evacuation of the center and the need for local officials to report to the scene.
"The command post received a call around 8 a.m. from the Berkeley County Emergency Preparedness Office about the yellow powder they found and then we got approval from the commander to respond to the incident because we had equipment they needed," said Staff Sgt. Karen Harris, 437th Civil Engineer Squadron Readiness and Emergency Management Flight NCO in charge of plans and operations. "So we teamed with bioenvironmental [Airmen] because we jointly respond with them during events that happen on base, like exercises."
When on the scene, members of the "Strike team," comprised of four 437 CES Readiness and Emergency Management Flight Airmen and four 437th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight Airmen, donned their protective suits and full-face respirators so they could identify the substance safely.
"The substance we identified was an irritant material that is not highly hazardous, but it's not something you want to be around for a long period of time especially in confined areas," said Maj. Eric Barney, 437 AMDS Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight commander, who was also part of the responding Strike team. The substance was said to likely be calcium phosphate dibasic.
"I really enjoy working with Charleston AFB and I'm glad they were able to come out and help us," said Tom Smith, Berkeley County Emergency Preparedness director. "They had the right equipment and were well trained. It only took them a few minutes where other agencies would've taken hours and still wouldn't be able to determine what the substance was."
The base's Strike team concept was first implemented in January and this was their first real-world response. This concept was implemented because the different sections have similar capabilities but also job-specific capabilities they can combine to make what Sergeant Harris called a "super capability."
"This Strike team initiative has taken our expertise and combined them to make them more effective in scenarios like this," said Major Barney. "This was our first response as a team and we got to support the local community. Everyone who was part of the team did a great job and handled themselves very professionally and I'm sure the local community was happy we were able to help. This was great training for us in a real-world application."
Members of the Strike team work together jointly on different scenario exercises at least once a month and the different sections also hold regular training within their respective flights. The Strike team can also include the 437 CES Fire and Emergency Services Flight and Explosive Ordnance Disposal depending on their need in a specific situation.
"We hope things like this don't happen, but unfortunately they do," said Sergeant Harris. "And when they do, we're ready for it."