A group of 18 Sailors from Branch Health Clinic (BHC) and Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi participated in First Receiver Operations Training (FROT) Oct. 14 and 15, to prepare them to respond to possible Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats.

The two-day evolution consisting of a thorough lecture and practical application of the decontamination equipment onboard NAF Atsugi.

Decontamination Education & Consultation (DECON) Master Instructor Brent Fenton, arrived at NAF Atsugi to conduct training. He has conducted FROT training for over 9 years, providing the U.S. military services with plenty of viable training in scenarios of a CBRN threat. The clinic overseer for the Emergency Management training this cycle was Lt. Jesse Lynn, a medical provider assigned to BHC. LT Lynn also assisted in conducting a FROT training course in July of 2015.

"This course was originally an annual training, but as of 2015 the courses are now conducted every 6 months," said Lynn. "The purpose of increasing the training frequency is to change the roles of DECON representatives from only assessing the knowledge of the sailors, to incorporating more opportunities to instruct and assist the Sailors to be mission capable and ready at any time."

NAF Atsugi Executive Officer Cmdr. Matthew Szoka was present at the training and offered a few words of advice to the sailors participating.

"I want our Sailors to understand the importance of this training," Szoka said. "Please ensure you keep practicing it. Make time for the procedure, as we are in an area where the potential for CBRN threats is not far from reality".

The Sailors learned to set-up and utilize the equipment provided to decontaminate patients, as well as how to help protect the first-responders from becoming contaminated. The first day of training was spent introducing participants to the equipment available to detect signs of CBRN exposure.

The second day consisted of practical application of the tools and detection devices, donning personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as quickly and properly setting up the decontamination tent.

The final phase was a timed event where Fenton monitored the time it took individuals to be mission capable. This included having at least four team members in full PPE, the decontamination tent set-up, and able to accept incoming patients.

"The team's initial response time of 4 minutes, 6 seconds was one of the top 10 fastest response times in all of the military FROT training's I've conducted," Fenton noted. "The total evolution, from in to out-processing, was 8 minutes and 9 seconds, compared to the average team set-up time which is around 10 minutes."

"Everyone who participated was so driven," said BHC Atsugi Officer-in-Charge Cmdr. Alex Dagnachew. "I was so impressed with the effort and enthusiasm my team put out during the training. They had great timing and coordination with the other potential first responders aboard NAF Atsugi."

Each of the 18 participants represented a wide-array of ranks and rates including: Damage Controlman, Dentists, Masters-At-Arms, Hospital Corpsman and Family Practice Physicians. Each member met the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's guidelines for CBRN first-responders and were certified as first-responders in Hazardous Waste Operations.


For more news from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, visit www.navy.mil/.