HomeMediaArticle Display

Airmen receive decontamination certification

Airmen test their chemical suits during a 976A Patient Decontamination certification at the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wis., May 22, 2014. The 976A team is made up of people from different areas of the base, so that base personnel affected by a chemical situation don’t have to wait for the firefighters and security forces units to be available. If an actual emergency occurred, the firefighters and security forces Airmen would be required elsewhere. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Andrea F. Liechti)

Airmen test their chemical suits during a 976A Patient Decontamination certification at the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wis., May 22, 2014. The 976A team is made up of people from different areas of the base, so that base personnel affected by a chemical situation don’t have to wait for the firefighters and security forces units to be available. If an actual emergency occurred, the firefighters and security forces Airmen would be required elsewhere. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Andrea F. Liechti)

Airmen from across the base watch their instructor during a 976A Patient Decontamination certification at the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wis., May 22, 2014. The 976A team is made up of people from different areas of the base, so that base personnel affected by a chemical situation don’t have to wait for the firefighters and security forces units to be available. If an actual emergency occurred, the firefighters and security forces Airmen would be required elsewhere. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Andrea F. Liechti)

Airmen from across the base watch their instructor during a 976A Patient Decontamination certification at the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wis., May 22, 2014. The 976A team is made up of people from different areas of the base, so that base personnel affected by a chemical situation don’t have to wait for the firefighters and security forces units to be available. If an actual emergency occurred, the firefighters and security forces Airmen would be required elsewhere. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Andrea F. Liechti)

Airmen carry a tent over to the grass during a 976A Patient Decontamination certification at the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wis., May 22, 2014. Once built, the tent provides space for decontamination during chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies on base. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Andrea F. Liechti)

Airmen carry a tent over to the grass during a 976A Patient Decontamination certification at the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wis., May 22, 2014. Once built, the tent provides space for decontamination during chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies on base. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Andrea F. Liechti)

MADISON, Wis. -- Airmen from across the base earned their 976A Patient Decontamination certification at the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wisconsin, May 22.

The certification came after a week of class time. The group was put to the test on their final day of training and proved to their instructor they could set up a complete decontamination area in less than 20 minutes.

"It's a one-time certification and then it's up to them to accomplish their yearly training requirements," said Alex Ibarra, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training specialist. "I certify them as a train-the-trainer, so anyone of them could train another Airman."

By keeping at least 12 people on the team at all times, they can accomplish their mission.

"Our goal is to save lives through decon by priority of order," Ibarra said. "We make sure they are clean through the process and then ensure they are able to be transported -as a clean patient - to definitive care."

The 976A team is made up of people from different areas of the base, so that base personnel affected by a chemical situation don't have to wait for the firefighters and security forces units to be available. If an actual emergency occurred, the firefighters and security forces Airmen would be required elsewhere.

"Each group and squadron on base sacrificed some of their personnel to be able to come in and help us out with this package," said Chief Master Sgt. Brian L. Steffen, 976A team manager. "This is another tool the commander has in an emergency event where he can actually use our resources to help save or protect resources and people here on the base."

After only two run-throughs the group was put to the test. They put up the tent, the decontamination water sprayers, set out garbage cans, and were operational in 19 minutes, 40 seconds. If they hadn't beaten the 20 minute time standard, they would have had to continue testing.

"I thought it went really well," Steffen said. "I'm very proud of everyone who was here. They showed a lot of urgency and were still safe when doing it. A job well-done to all the members."

USAF Comments Policy
If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

  • This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
  • This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.