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ATSO training prepares Airmen for mobility exercises, upcoming ORI

  • Published
  • By Erin Blauvelt
  • 305th Air Mobility Wing public affairs
McGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  The 305th Civil Engineer Squadron Readiness and Emergency Management Flight will hold its eighth Ability to Survive and Operate training session Aug. 19 here. The ATSO training began in July. 

The ATSO preparatory sessions are required for McGuire personnel who will be participating in mobility exercises and/or the upcoming Operational Readiness Inspection. 

According to Senior Airman Samantha Watters, 305th CES office of emergency management, who organized the sessions, the training is designed to instill students with "the knowledge to survive, ability to operate, and the confidence to act" before, during, and after a chemical or biological attack. 

There are six stations during the training. The first station is pre attack, where students learn about contamination avoidance along with all actions to be completed prior to an attack. Trans attack is where students learn how to properly don all mission-oriented protective posture gear and practice within time limits. Next is post attack, where students learn about actions that would take place after an attack, during alarm black. Basic lifesaving, which has been coordinated with the 305th Medical Group, teaches about tourniquets, different carries, and basic lifesaving techniques. Explosive Ordinance Reconnaissance is where an Explosive Ordinance Disposal instructor teaches students how to recognize, record, retreat, and report unexploded ordinances. The last station is the Contamination Control Area, where students are processed through a form of decontamination, learning "the importance of situational awareness, being a wingman, and the ability to follow instructions," said Airman Watters. 
 
"Once students complete all the training stations, they are 'tested' with an exercise," she said. "They put to use all the skills they learn throughout the training." 

The main goal of the ATSO training is "to equip the base with the knowledge to excel during the upcoming mobility exercises and the ORI," Airman Watters said. 

Capt. Kieran O'Shea, 305th Air Mobility Wing judge advocate, agreed the exercise was good preparation for the upcoming events and also a great way to bolster confidence.
Airman Watters said the past training sessions were fantastic and hopes the training will help lead the wing to its goal of an "Outstanding" rating in the upcoming ORI. "Watching the students progress in their abilities to operate in that type of environment was great to see," she said. 

The students agreed the ATSO training was a success. Airman 1st Class David Johnson, 305th AMW military justice paralegal, said the training went "very smoothly. It was very well-organized and well-run." 

For more information, call the 305th CES office of emergency management training section at (609) 754-6223/6208/3731.