Sheppard first responders integrate with local incident management team

  • Published
  • By Dan Hawkins
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  If a major disaster type of situation, like a flood or tornado, were to strike the Wichita Falls area, members of Team Sheppard can rest a bit easier knowing base emergency personnel are prepared for just such an emergency.


Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention Rodney Ryalls of the Sheppard Fire Department completed a five-day emergency relief tactics training class April 14th. Participants in the class will become members of the first incident management team in the North Texas area.


The training was held at the Wichita Falls Public Safety Training Center and hosted by the Texas Forest Service. It is just the first step for local area first responders to gain certification as an incident management leadership team; several more classes will be held over the summer to complete the requirements.


According to Bob Koenig, Texas state incident management coordinator, having a leadership team in the area will be a significant improvement in the ability to respond to a natural disaster and can help bring order to the chaos.


"There are only 17 incident management teams in the state of Texas," Koenig said. "Events like 9-11 exposed a lot of gaps in our management of large incidents. Having a team in the North Texas area will enable us to get experienced hands into the incident immediately."


Koenig added the shootings at Fort Hood a couple of years ago and the recent wildfires in the local area last year have only intensified the necessity of getting all emergency responders to participate in joint training such as this.


The focus of the training for the class was building the team concept, joint documentation of events and making sure all team members understand the roles of everyone assigned to the team. Follow-on training classes will include specific individual position training and exercise scenarios.


The National Incident Management System, or NIMS, is the incident management system used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is largely based off the crisis response procedures the military has used for years.


"The incident management system used by the federal government really originated in the military," Ryalls said. "Having military experience within the makeup of the local emergency response team helps immensely since we all have in-depth knowledge of incident management."


Partnering together is beneficial for both the local civil response forces and Sheppard considering the base and city share an airport and runway.


"Being able to discuss common issues and deciding what to do in certain events before they happen can save a lot of time and lives," said Jon Reese, Wichita Falls Fire Department captain. "We are strengthening the relationship between the base and us, which makes us better prepared in the long run."