Politics & Government

Guard Unit Impresses Gingrey

The congressman, who represents the northern portion of Smyrna, celebrates the exploits of the 4th Civil Support Team.

By 1st Lt. Michael Thompson

Rep. Phil Gingrey visited the Georgia Army National Guard’s 4th Civil Support Team for a briefing on the unit’s capabilities Aug. 31.

The 4th CST provides chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and low-yield-explosive expertise to local, state and federal agencies in emergencies.

“To see this unit’s capabilities is extremely impressive,” said Gingrey (R-Marietta), who represents the 11th District including a portion of Smyrna. He visited the 4th CST at Dobbins Air Reserve Base during Congress’ August recess.

The visit to the base came between town-hall meetings in Cartersville on Aug. 29 and Kennesaw on Sept. 1.

“This unit, as part of the Georgia Army National Guard, is a signature unit that was made up over 10 years ago,” Gingrey said. “You are amazed at the local capability that they provide, not only to the state of Georgia, but to different regions throughout the United States.”

The 4th CST remains in a constant state of readiness to respond to events in its region, covering six states and two U.S. territories.

The team put its training to good use Aug. 12 during an emergency in Covington.

Employees of PureTalk, an electronics refurbishing company, reported to Newton Medical Center’s emergency room with burning eyes and skin irritation. The 4th CST was mobilized, along with local and state agencies.

“Just having the CST there was a benefit for the incident commander,” said Capt. Bert Thompson, the team’s operations officer. “The expertise that our guys bring to that situation, their knowledge to the incident command system, is really helpful to our local responders.”

The unit established a decontamination line and provided equipment to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s explosive disposal team to clear the ER of any potential explosives.

The soldiers then determined that the irritant was battery acid.

The 4th CST, which has the only mobile lab in Georgia, spends extensive hours training with local, state and federal agencies. The Cherokee County Hazardous Materials and Special Weapons and Tactics units conducted joint training with the unit Aug. 24.

“The benefit of having an organization like us in the Georgia National Guard is a great one,” Thompson said.

The 4th CST is part of the 78th Homeland Response Force, which is expected to pass certification in November. The 78th HRF will provide additional command and control assets to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Region IV.


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