Bioenviromental engineers compete in AIr Force level CBRN challenge

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sara Csurilla
  • 47th Flying Training Wing / Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A team of bioenvironmental engineers from Laughlin, who took top honors in Air Education and Training Command's Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Challenge last quarter, competed in the Second Annual CBRN challenge held at Brooks City-Base, Texas, this month.

The team comprised of Laughlin bioenvironmental engineers, Senior Airman Andrew Hernandez, Senior Airman Brittany Cobb, Master Sgt. Daniel Beary, Capt. Bruce Auville, and an Emergency Management Readiness troop from Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., Senior Airman Amanda Given, battled nine teams representing the major commands of the Air Force during the week-long challenge.

The challenge was designed to have team members practice their abilities to assess, decipher and recondition a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear accident or attack, said Airman Hernandez.

The competition, held at U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine's Expeditionary Medical Support site, consisted of six CBRN challenges in addition to a modified physical fitness test and a Jeopardy-show style challenge.

Each challenge required all team members to participate and lasted three hours long.

"One exercise we were lucky enough to compete in was the Toxic Industrial Chemical / Toxic Industrial Materials scenario where we had to track, quantify, monitor and decontaminate a specific substance during a mach train wreck," said Airman Hernandez. "We became much more comfortable working with our emergency management team member while conducting the scenarios with the up most safety and precision."

"We had the best communication I could have ever expected from my team during this competition," said Capt. Auville, team leader.

Although the team did not dominate the competition like they did in AETC, there were lessons well learned.

"At the end of competition, AFSPC ended up as winners, but our team did our best and grew tremendously as team-members and friends," said Airman Hernandez. "This was the best type of learning experience for my profession that I could ask for."


"We displayed excellent team-work not only during our challenges but even when it's not expected; and that's what made our team incredible," said Capt. Auville.