NITRO, W.Va. –
Soldiers with the West Virginia Army National Guard (WVARNG) are flattening the curve of the COVID-19 virus in the Mountain State through sharing information and training with those on the front lines.
Pairing with local and federal government organizations and local retailers, the WVARNG’s Task Force - CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High Yield Explosives) Response Enterprise (TF-CRE) has appointed subject matter experts to ensure West Virginians are trained to help eliminate COVID-19 spreading.
TF-CRE is made up of experts from the Army Interagency Training and Education Center’s (AITEC) CBRNE Battalion, the 35th Civil Support Team (CST), and the 35th Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP).
Working alongside state officials, Soldiers are compiling instructional videos for distribution on topics such as the decontamination of mission-critical personal protective equipment (PPE) being received from the Strategic National Stockpile as well as the proper donning and doffing of medical PPE for healthcare and first responders.
Stopping the threat at its entry point further eliminates potential spread. Decontamination by the use of bleach mixtures and wipes upon receipt of supplies can help lower the risk of contamination. Educating the public through instructional videos will help others be more proactive as well.
So far, TF-CRE has provided training to more than 150 first responders, hospital staff and retail establishment personnel from Kentucky and West Virginia.
Soldiers continue to work with local retailers to ensure front line workers are trained and empowered to follow PPE and healthy, safe practices.
“The WVARNG is offering services to ensure all the retail locations are armed with the best practices to protect both the employees and customers,” said Sgt. 1st Class Steve Morrison, TF-CRE training lead. “It ensures that all the locations are getting the same thorough education and also provides a peace of mind to customers that these retail locations do care about customer safety.”
The WVARNG currently has 213 requests statewide for training at retail locations on decontamination and best practices for cargo and box handling and PPE wear.
“This training has been very beneficial to me,” said Tina Kelly, store manager of the Nitro Wal-Mart. “It makes my associates realize that this isn’t just coming from Wal-Mart, but the National Guard is also talking about how important it [hygiene and PPE] is, so hopefully they’re going to take all this back to their areas and teach everyone what they learned.”
“If everyone even has just the base knowledge about proper PPE wear, even though it may seem very simple, it’s good that everyone knows the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Sgt. Davis Dean, a combat medic assigned to TF-CRE.
West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) leadership stresses that moving forward they want to help change the culture surrounding prevention of future outbreaks. Getting a buy-in by those holding essential positions - including retail workers and managers - is a huge step in flattening the curve and slowing or stopping future outbreaks.
The WVNG will continue to source information to the public and industry leaders to help educate those requesting information on the best practices to mitigate risk of the issues concerning COVID-19, develop new ideas, and research concepts worldwide on protecting West Virginians against this threat.