BAY EX 2023

story and photos by Sgt. 1st Class Kimberly Hill
video by Pfc. William F. Espinosa
69th Public Affairs Detachment

March 1, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO - The HAZMAT suited men make their way down the crumbling staircase, their breathing— amplified by their gas masks— echoes off the narrow walls and fills the silent space below.

The site before them—a dank and dilapidated undergrown cavern—would be unsettling enough for most people, but the complicated chemical lab inside the cavern is even more terrifying.

As they make their way around the room testing samples from various substances on the makeshift table, a man in a blue vest labeled controller watches them from a corner. He's waiting to see if the training exercise will not only be a success for the Soldiers and Airmen, but if the city can sleep a little easier tonight, under the National Guard's Civil Support Team's watchful eyes.

The California National Guard's 95th Civil Support Team hosted BAY EX 2023, the annual multi-day and multi-venue training exercise in the Bay Area with local law enforcement and first responders that tests the team’s interagency communications and emergency response to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats, Feb. 21-24.

“It’s been fantastic to see how the teams have worked together, and I am really proud of how the 95^th CST has performed,” said U.S. Army Capt. Jonathan Crane, the survey team lead for the 95^th CST.

Teams like the Cal Guard’s 95^th CST, train frequently with local first responders and law enforcement, so that when disaster strikes, the agencies can communicate seamlessly and understand each other’s processes and procedures.

“When we do these training exercises every year, sometimes every month with different agencies, it really helps us enhance our interoperability, so that we’re on the same sheet of music so to speak,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Alec Rantanen.

Rantanen works in the survey section and is responsible for documenting and collecting samples of any suspected hazardous material.

The annual training exercise focuses on simulated CBRN hazards in crowded locations and mass transit, with this year being no different. It began in San Francisco at a BART station and over the next three days, locations included Levi Stadium in San Jose, Alcatraz Island, and the USS Hornet, a decommissioned Navy vessel in Alameda.

“The CST’s mission is to support our response partners, we are an all-hazards response team, we specialize in Weapons of Mass Destruction HAZMAT situations.  We identify, assess hazards and advise and assist our partners in whatever they may need," said Rantanen.

This year’s BAY EX included the U.S. Coast Guard’s Pacific Strike Team, San Mateo law enforcement, Oakland Fire Department, local first responders, as well as the 101^st CST from the Idaho National Guard and the Colorado National Guard’s 8^th CST.

For the Soldiers and Airmen of the Cal Guard, working with other state’s CSTs is always an opportunity to collaborate and compare procedures, while providing the neighboring state’s unit a chance to train in a different environment, said Rantanen.

 Civil Support Teams were created by National Guard Bureau to augment response to domestic CBRN incidences within the U.S.  The team members are comprised of Airmen and Soldiers and work full time to support operations and emergency response throughout the state.

“What I love about the CST is it’s unlike anything else in the National Guard, we’ve just gone all over the place, and we do these big exercises and work with other agencies and other teams and see how they do business,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Steven Jackson, a reconnaissance team chief with the 101st CST.

As the day ends, the HAZMAT suits are stripped off and the service members crowd around the blue vested observers to hear the results of the training, training that will improve their own skills and practices in the case of a real-world emergency.

“The exercise has been great, there’s things we can always learn from, working with different agencies…enjoyed working with the 95^th and obviously I love working with my team,” said Jackson.