Battelle Hosts U.S. Army Training Exercise

When you want to get better at something, you have to practice. That’s why Battelle accepted an invitation from the United States Army to host a training exercise on its West Jefferson, Ohio campus on September 17.
In these types of drills there is a large contingent of local, regional, state and federal organizations involved—designed to mimic the real thing. The scenario created for this exercise was imagining that an Army helicopter delivering critical research chemicals accidentally hits a bird and crashes at Battelle’s West Jefferson site.
In this scenario, planners and participants worked to make it as realistic as possible. A real helicopter flew in and landed, and actors pretended to be injured. Battelle staff had to perform in the drill as they actually would if a real accident happened. This meant hosting emergency crews from many different first responders and safety organizations in addition to addressing the immediate problems posed by such an event.
Participants in the U.S. Army training exercise at Battelle's West Jefferson campus coordinated with a variety of local, regional, state and federal organizations.
Gary Carlin, Battelle Emergency Management and Response Program Manager, ran the point for the Battelle staff. The large-scale event included such groups as the U.S. Army 20th CBRNE Command, the Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio National Guard, Central Ohio Trauma Association and an extensive group of state and local hospitals, fire departments, police and rescue.
“This exercise was a year in the making and involved an incredible teaming of many different disciplines within Battelle, as well as external partners at the local, state and federal levels,” Carlin said. “It provided a rare opportunity for a wide variety of players to learn from each other in a safe environment. It also fostered on-going emergency preparedness improvement and strengthened Battelle’s relationships with its external partners, who are critical to enabling the critical research we conduct to keep military troops safe.”
The exercise was intended to test the emergency response capabilities and practices of everyone involved, including communications and other support services. “From my vantage point, it was a true win-win for all the parties involved,” said Carlin.
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