CERFP External Evaluation

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew Sands, 125th Medical Detachment commander and Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Katt, 125th Medical Group senior enlisted leader, pictured during a CERFP External Evaluation, Sept. 22, 2023 at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Florida. The CERFP, or CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package, includes more than 200 Soldiers and Airmen from many Air and Army units who form one CERFP unit in the wake of a catastrophe. CERFP units comprise five major elements including command and control, search and extraction, decontamination, medical support, and fatality search and recovery in which teams are evaluated on their ability to immediately respond to a CBRNE incident. During the exercise, teams conducted a site search of collapsed buildings and structures, performed rescue tasks to extract trapped casualties, facilitated mass decontamination measures, performed medical triage and initial treatment to stabilize patients for transport to medical facilities, and recovered CBRN incident fatalities. Each element — CBRN, medics, decontamination, search and extraction, and FSRT (fatality, search and recovery team) — was evaluated as part of the total force response. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech Sgt. Chelsea Smith)