KAPA‘A — The Kaua‘i Civil Defense Agency took the lead on the Hawai‘i National Guard 93rd Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction) annual weeklong training on Kaua‘i. Coordinating between the Civil Defense, the Kaua‘i Fire Department, the Kaua‘i Police
KAPA‘A — The Kaua‘i Civil Defense Agency took the lead on the Hawai‘i National Guard 93rd Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction) annual weeklong training on Kaua‘i.
Coordinating between the Civil Defense, the Kaua‘i Fire Department, the Kaua‘i Police Department and other governmental agencies, including the State Department of Health, the weeklong training featured a full-scale exercise, Thursday centering around the Kapa‘a Armory.
Sarah Blane, the normal county Public Information Officer, referred all matters to the Incident Commander of the scenario, following protocol.
“We had a car bombing in the parking lot of the Kapa‘a Armory,” said Janis Kimata-Lopez, the Incident Commander for the Thursday scenario. “There were five injuries, four critical. Kaua‘i Fire Department responded, and after the discovery of radiation, all the victims were moved out of the parking area.”
Kimata said the victims were transported to the G.N. Wilcox Memorial Hospital, and on discovery of the radiation and possibility of secondary explosives, CST assumed control of the incident.
Once the CST assumed command, Kimata was relieved of her post, the CST team being met by the Radiological Response Team, affectionately known as RAT, and working with the Kaua‘i Fire Department and the state Department of Health for radiation testing and monitoring.
“It’s public health and safety,” Kimata-Lopez said. “Anytime there’s radiation involved, it becomes a matter of public safety and the Department of Health becomes involved.”
Other drills and seminars took places are other sites including the Kaua‘i County Emergency Operations Center, the Ka‘iakea fire station, the Kaua‘i Police Department range, the Hanapepe National Guard armory, the Kapa‘a Armory and Wilcox Hospital.
The goal of the exercise is to ensure that Kaua‘i’s first responders will be better prepared not only for Weapons of Mass Destruction events, but also for a broad spectrum of natural and man-made events, states a county release.
Skills learned during the training can also be applied to hazardous materials incidents and, or events which require multi-agency, multi-discipline coordination and interoperable communications.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
