FEST-M team Completes
 Combat Life Saver Training

(click the photos for the slideshow) 

VICKSBURG, Miss.., Feb 2, 2012 – The 579th Engineer Detachment (FEST-M) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division, took part in Combat Life Saver training January 23-27. The training was conducted at the Corps’ Vicksburg District headquarters by Sergeant Erik Q. Brown and Specialist Michael J. Downey of the 115th Combat Support Hospital at Fort Polk, La.

This intensive training equips the 579th team members with advanced life-saving skills and equipment, enabling team members to perform a variety of emergency medical procedures, from treating sucking chest wounds to applying combat action tourniquets. Given the 579th mission requirements of deploying directly into overseas contingency operations, as well as being on stand-by for disaster relief missions within the continental United States, these skill sets could prove critically important for future missions. At the end of the training, all team members were tested and certified as Combat Life Savers for the United States Army.

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Urban Search & Rescue Training

VICKSBURG, Miss. – From October 22-28 four members of the FEST-M team attended Urban Search and Rescue – Structural Specialist Training at Moffett Airfield California, located outside of San Jose. The attending four members were Messrs. Alfonso Santa (architect), Jimmy Hynum (construction quality assurance specialist), Samuel T. Stacy (civil engineer for public works) and Sergeant First Class Candido Aguilar (senior construction supervisor).

The training was developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue Structures Group in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to train structural specialists for future disaster and emergency response events. The training included structural evaluation of various building types for potential failure modes, and expected performance during events such as earthquakes, fire and bombing and structural defects. The training also included evaluation of hazard reduction measures of such structures, and design and construction of various shoring systems. 

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