Seminar offers new approach to crisis response

An oil tanker explodes outside Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico. A C-130 crashes near Camp Darby, Italy. A shooter opens fire at Fort Hood, Texas. An earthquake hits Japan.

These emergency scenarios, which actually happened on or near U.S. Army garrisons, added depth to a recent U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern force protection seminar.

During the two-day event at Daenner Kaserne, garrison leaders were joined by representatives of the German police, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the 21st Theater Sustainment Command. The program, conducted by trainers from MPRI, offered garrison staff its first look at how the U.S. Army Installation Management Command will now conduct force protection training, said Jeff Crisp, director of Plans, Training, Mobility and Security.

“It’s something new,” Mr. Crisp said. “The seminar allowed us to fine tune our current plans and link them with other agencies.”
When taking an “all-hazards” approach, garrisons should have standard responses to a variety of emergencies, from natural disasters and accidents to criminal actions and terrorism. 

Knowing each other’s roles is important for garrison’s first responders, supporting staff and outside partners, said Ray Graham, a former Army garrison commander in Wiesbaden, Germany, who led the discussions.

“A crisis is a come as you are event. If you have relationships established, things can go smoother,” Mr. Graham said. “We help break down barriers to communication and train people like we would respond in a real crisis.”
Crisis response training in the Army is now aligned with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation program. In March 2009, the Army created a new regulation – AR 525-27, Army Emergency Management Program.

Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of IMCOM, has directed garrisons to hold annual exercises under this new method, Mr. Graham said. The MPRI team introduces new IMCOM orders and familiarizes garrisons with the 30 emergency response capabilities that they must now train.

A tabletop exercise, held on the second day of the seminar, was a scenario that a serious incident occurred at one of the garrison’s 15 installations. Staff brainstormed reactions to a terrorist act and shared their ideas with the group.
“We had a chance to discuss amongst key players how we would do certain functions,” Mr. Crisp said. “That’s important.”