Coast Guard team supports EPA partners

Published March 18, 2014
By Petty Officer First Class Sean Stone and Lt. Kristen Potter
U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team

ANGOLA, Ind. -- The US Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team (AST) never has a "normal" mission and last week's deployment was no different. Though the team specializes in Hazardous Material and Oil Spill Response, their skill set is varied and often gets requests for other events. From March 11-13, the AST was called out to Angola, Indiana in support of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 to provide medical monitoring assistance and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) for their annual Full Scale Exercise.

Delayed by snow storms devastating the Midwest, the team hit the ground running as soon as they arrived. Three EMTs ensured the health and physiological standards were maintained for over 60 EPA participants, allowing them a productive and safe training evolution.

"It is always a success when we can end the day with no injuries and have a fun time as well!" said Petty Officer First Class Sean Stone, the lead AST member and one of the exercise safety officers.

The Strike Team members also were given the opportunity to receive some training on new hazardous material detection equipment and to deliver training on response tools to the EPA personnel. This was a great chance for networking and building relationships with other Federal response partners while increasing capability and familiarity with available equipment for future cases.