First Responders Day: Homeland Security Response Team prepared for any disaster in region

From chemical spills, structural collapses, confined space rescue, dive recoveries, outdoor searches and more, the Region E Homeland Security Response Team is trained to respond to some of the worst conditions and disasters that could happen in Southeast Missouri.

Sean Mitchell, deputy chief of operations at Jackson Fire Department, recalled an incident in 2009 on Interstate 55 near Sikeston, Missouri, involving a tanker truck that had rolled. The team mitigated a leak from the tanker over a 10-hour span.

"I feel we were able to mitigate that leak and get the interstate back open faster than if we did not have a regional team," Mitchell said.

Components

Region E team covers 13 counties in the southeast part of the state. Jackson and Cape Girardeau fire departments, Sikeston Department of Public Safety and the Stoddard County (Missouri) Ambulance District are the main entities comprising the response team.

The team focuses on shoring and stabilizing buildings during a practice in July 2020.Courtesy Region E Homeland Security Response Team

The team started after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as a hazardous materials response crew and has evolved into the overall technical rescue team it is today, according to Brad Dillow, battalion chief at Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

"A lot of these agencies and departments within the 13 counties can handle almost any minor incident, but when it becomes very technical and in depth, you know, we might be looked at as a resource to call," he said.

Members of the team put in hours of training for multiple classes. A class can range from 24 to 80 hours for each type of specialty response. There are also monthly hands-on technical training sessions to learn and/or practice certain types of rescues.

"The team is very important for the region because it allows the region to have resources that some of the rural departments and smaller departments can't fund or maintain," Mitchell said.

Regionalized

The team trains for grain engulfment rescues in March.Courtesy Region E Homeland Security Response Team

The team divides specialty equipment by each department. Jackson holds a majority of the team's hazardous material supplies, Cape Girardeau has the technical rescue material, Sikeston has communication and hazardous material equipment, and Stoddard County Ambulance has medical gear.

Dillow said the team tries to be as self-sufficient as possible so each component has everything they need when they are called to service.

The team was called to service by the federal government in 2017 when they were deployed to Houston after Hurricane Harvey. Dillow said they now have the knowledge and skills gained from the rescues conducted in Texas to use in Region E if needed after a tornado or any other disaster.

Justin Drury, a firefighter at CGFD and member of the Region E team for about five years, said the team is an important asset to the community because during emergencies, such as tornadoes that can cause building collapses, the team can respond quickly. Otherwise, St. Louis region teams would be called in, which would take hours just for their arrival.

"We've got some really good guys that know what they're doing and can help whenever that time arises at a moment's notice. So we're very fortunate in this area to have the equipment and the knowledge that we all continue to train on and gain within HSRT," he said.