Missouri Guard’s civil support team assists first responders after trailer fire

Staff Sgt. Dale Kaiser and Sgt. 1st Class Robyn Boatright walk with Sgt. Kyle Weber toward the decontamination area. (Photo by Spc. Adam Winters/Missouri National Guard)

By Matthew J. Wilson
ngmo.pao@us.army.mil

NEW FRANKLIN, Mo. - Members of the Missouri National Guard's 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team were called Tuesday morning to support first responders at the remnants of a trailer fire in rural Howard County.

The team routinely works with first responders in training events throughout the state and was ready to respond quickly, said Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard.

"Our 7th Civil Support Team constantly trains with local first responders," Danner said. "When they are needed, as they were in Howard County, our Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen integrate seamlessly with local authorities."

Guardsmen from the Jefferson City-based team's reconnaissance and medical sections were asked to monitor the air around the trailer, which burned Monday night. They were also there to identify any possible hazards after several first responders were reported to have been exposed to chemicals during salvage and recovery operations.

The civil support team's reconnsaissance team chief, Staff Sgt. Dale Kaiser, said the team was prepared for the hazards they were facing.

"The floors were burnt, making them unstable," Kaiser said. "We didn't know what toxins were in the air, which is always dangerous. We took the proper precautions and I had my senior leader, Sgt. 1st Class Robyn Boatright, with me, so I wasn't really nervous."

The team's mission is to assess suspected or known terrorist threats, advise civilian authorities of appropriate responses, and assist local emergency responders with follow-on forces in incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive weapons of mass destruction.

"We train a lot," Kaiser said. "I have the Hazmat suit and the C-breather on at least once or twice per month."

Made up of both Army and Air National Guardsmen, the 22-person active Guard unit must be capable of sending out an advance party team within 90 minutes at all times to investigate potential threats that can range from mass sickness to mysterious white powders to unidentified contaminations.

The Department of Natural Resources' Emergency Environmental Response team assisted in the reconnaissance effort.
The fire remains under investigation by the Howard County Sherriff's Department.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard; www.moguard.com/blog

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources spill line at 573-634-2436. For more information contact the Department of Natural Resources at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-3443, or visit the department's website at www.dnr.mo.gov