JBLM Chemical Specialists Train Under Pressure in Yakima

(This story comes courtesy of the Defense Video Imagery & Distribution System and was written by Staff Sgt. James Hale. To read moreDVIDS articles on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, click here)

YAKIMA – His hands worked quickly and steadily as sweat was beading from his forehead down to his cheek. His two team members watched from a distance as they hoped they wouldn’t hear a dreadful boom.

Sgt. Ruben Lugo Jr., an explosive ordinance disposal sergeant with B Company, 110th Chemical Battalion from Joint Base Lewis McChord, led Spc. Alexander Main, an explosive ordinance disposal team member, and Staff Sgt. Philip Ellis, sample team leader, into a simulated chemical contaminated building during the team’s certification exercise at the Yakima Training Center, May 7.

B Company is one of only two Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosives (CBRNE) units capable of performing this type of mission and are an integral part of the 2nd CBRN Battalion’s Defense CBRNE Response Force (DCRF). The DCRF is made up of more than 800 soldiers in 16 supporting units from six different military installations across the country who could respond to any U.S. CBRNE incident to prevent the loss of American civilians.

To complete the scenario, Ruben’s team had to enter a building they suspected to contain dangerous chemicals, explosives and other obstacles. Their job was to make sure the area was clear for the collection team to enter the building and take samples of the chemicals so they could be analyzed and properly neutralized.

One of the obstacles they faced was a five-gallon container with a grenade attached to it on the second floor that was rigged to go off if the door next to it was opened. Lugo’s team overcame this by trying to open the door from outside the building using specialized mounting plates, metal clasps, rope and a large mallet. After that didn’t work, due to the door being barricaded from the inside, Lugo climbed the side of the building to the second floor window where he was able to safely enter the building, defuse the grenade and remove the obstruction.

“I got a lot of good experience today,” said Lugo. “We had great learning experiences and gained a lot of building blocks, which is why we came here.”

B Company differs from other Army units because its missions can be called in by civilian agencies here in the U.S. An incident here in the states can begin with a concerned citizen calling 911 and first responders suspecting chemical agents, and end with soldiers from B Company clearing a house in their full chemical gear or working with a Department of Defense agency to help protect the area around the house from harm.

“What we bring to the fight is a more detailed technical expertise,” said Capt. Stephen Siegner, a CBRNE response team team leader with B Company. “Your conventional chemical unit wouldn’t be able to mitigate this kind of problem.”

Bringing their soldiers to YTC gives B Company a different environment to help prepare them for the stresses that come with such a dangerous mission.

“This was my first time doing training like this,” said Pfc. Ashley Ganan, a decontamination team member with B Company. “I was pretty nervous because when we do our dry runs it’s not as intense and nerve racking as it is when you’re put on the spot so this was really good training for me.”

As each section of the team finished doing their part of the training, they all had to be decontaminated before leaving the affected area. This is necessary so that they do not spread any contamination to other areas before a different chemical unit can neutralize the area. Even as the soldiers were finishing the exercise, tired and covered in sweat, they still looked ready and eager to do it again and you could see in their face that they really love what they do.