U.S Army Reserve units, including the 300th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear (CBRN) Company and 355th Medical Company (Area Support) (MCAS) train throughout the year to respond to incidents that are the result of accidents, man-made, or naturally occurring events that create catastrophic situations capable of overwhelming the response of civil authorities.
This week, the Reserve units created a scenario of a full-scale catastrophe at the Mountaineer Mall on Greenbag Road and partnered with local authorities including WVU Medicine, Morgantown Fire Department, and Monongalia County Emergency Management Center to conduct a mass casualty decontamination scenario.
According to Captain Kalil Johnson, 300th CBRN Chemical Company Commander, there were 120 soldiers on the ground working in real time to evaluate, decontaminate and treat role-players suffering from simulated symptoms and injuries that would likely occur during a real-life mass casualty situation, as well as CBRN or HAZMAT reconnaissance, medical operations, and other life-saving capabilities.
The scenario they practiced on Friday was a chemical attack inside the Mountaineer Mall where 1,500 casualties needed to be decontaminated, treated, triaged, and transported to WVU Hospitals Johnson explained.
Sgt. Giovanny Lopez, 76th ORC Public Affairs Office Noncommissioned Officer, said the participating soldiers, who were outfitted in full-body protective suits, rotated in 90-minute shifts and had vitals taken before and after the shift to ensure their health and safety.
“The biggest thing here is communications itself and making sure the soldiers are ready and trained,” Johnson said of the takeaways for the exercise. “In case the worst day comes in America, we are ready to deploy and ready to execute to save lives.”
