Story by Sgt. 1st Class Eugene Pomeroy
7th Civil Support Command Public Affairs
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – When disaster strikes, Army Reserve Soldiers from the 771st and 773rd Civil Support Teams can be trusted to suit
 |
| Spc. Jacob Chandler receives training conducted by Frank Moddemann of RAE Systems on the AreaRae Multi-Gas Detection System at Daenner Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Sgt. 1st Class Eugene Pomeroy, 7th CSC Public Affairs) |
up and detect the hazards that lurk in the air.
Recently, the 771st and 773rd CSTs were trained on AreaRae Multi-Gas Detection Systems at Daenner Kaserne as part of the 7th Civil Support Command’s transformation into a force that can support civil authorities in a chemical, biological and nuclear incident.
“It was very fine training,” said Sgt. Tony Luther from the 771st CST in Bamberg, Germany. “I [appreciated] that we got it directly from a technician from the company. It gave us a lot more insight. It’s one of those skills you have to continuously use.”
Luther was one of four soldiers who will now return to train the rest of his unit.
The system consists of a Rapid Deployment Kit, which is a laptop computer that connects remotely to up to 32 detectors. The detectors-- resembling large transistor radios--monitor oxygen levels, combustible and toxic gasses, and Gamma radiation.
“You put them up around a hot zone, move away, and monitor what is happening inside from a central location up to four miles away,” said Modermann.
Lt. Col. Timothy Pelfrey, the commander of the 773rd CST, said the training was excellent:
“It provides the capability to the Civil Support Command that we’ve never had before – I mean, high speed, excellent training."
“I believe this is the first time the 7th Civil Support Command can demonstrate and showcase its capabilities to the rest of the European theater,” said Eryn Seidl, the 7th CSC’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear operations specialist.
Civil support teams were first fielded by the National Guard in 2000. The 2nd CST from New York was the first National Guard team to respond to terrorist activities when it arrived at Ground Zero after the 9-11 attacks. When fully deployable, a CST can be on the road within two hours to support civil authorities in the event or suspicion of an attack.
With more than 900 European-based Army Reserve Soldiers, the 7th CSC is now entering a new phase as it becomes a fully deployable, operational command. Its new structure will provide foreign consequence management, civil affairs, and command and control capabilities to U.S. Army Europe and the U.S. Seventh Army.
