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Illinois National Guard Unit Possesses Unique Extraction Capabilities

By Spc. Austin Hurt, Indiana Army National Guard

Tragedies happen everywhere. Floods destroy cities, buildings burn to the point of collapse and everyday activities go awry, putting lives in danger. During these tragedies, the civilian first responders such as police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians who devote their lives to saving others are thrust into the public spotlight. Less visible are the military members who do precisely the same.

A Soldier with the 144th Chemical Company, Illinois National Guard, assists an injured "victim" May 13, 2007 at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center near North Vernon, Ind., during Vigilant Guard. The operation is a joint military and civilian training exercise simulating a terrorist detonation of a nuclear device in a major metropolitan area. (Photo by Spc. Austen Hurt, Indiana Army National Guard) (Released)

Soldiers of the 444th Chemical Company, Illinois National Guard, and assigned to the state's Monmouth-based Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP) are one such unit of military first responders. For the past year, they have split training time between their traditional mission and their CERFP mission-large-scale rescue operations.

"We are trained in heavy collapse extraction," said Staff Sgt. Jacob Shasteen, a squad leader with the 444th. "We can do the extraction stuff (civilians) can't do."

The purpose of the CERFP, he said, is to supplement civilian responders and agencies when they require assistance.

Trained in confined-space extraction, they can climb into the rubble of a collapsed building to rescue survivors and transfer them to medical support teams or decontamination teams as necessary. Because of the dangerous nature of their job, chemical companies assigned to CERFP teams receive additional hazardous material equipment and training.

While the Illinois CERFP has not yet mobilized for a real-world disaster, they have conducted several joint training operations with civilian first responders. Their largest such operation is the Vigilant Guard exercise now under way in various locations throughout Indiana. A national exercise with participants from throughout the country, the 444th has been conducting rescue operations in the aftermath of a simulated nuclear explosion.

"Whenever there's a collapsed building we go in and clear victims off the pile," Shasteen said. "We get to go in and save lives. That's what we're around for."

The Illinois CERFP employs tactics and equipment similar to civilian fire and rescue units, Shasteen explained. They are trained to climb into collapsed buildings and carefully shore-or reinforce-them to prevent further damage from a secondary collapse. When necessary, debris and obstructions are breached and broken to gain access to victims and extract them with collapsible litters, lift baskets and other rescue equipment. All unit members must be qualified by Response International Group, an organization that trains and certifies emergency responders.

"Not everybody can do this," said Sgt. Bryce Vandrew, a chemical specialist with the 444th.

Vandrew said he enjoys the unique training opportunities and experiences as well as the adrenaline rush he gets from climbing into a collapsed building and saving lives. But he stressed that it wasn't about the medals.

"You do it for the excitement, but you don't do it for the glory," he said. "It's long, hard work, but if you can save someone's life, it's worth it."

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