JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, Washington, D.C. –
JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, D.C. — Airmen assigned to the Bolling Medical Squadron decontamination team conducted training at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, May 28, 2026.
The training event provided team members with an opportunity to refine critical skills and demonstrated their ability to receive, triage and decontaminate patients effectively during a potential chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear scenario.
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Preston La, BMS medical readiness officer and flight commander, said emergency management teams regularly dedicate training time throughout the year to review procedures, maintain proficiency and prepare for events requiring a coordinated medical response. The training is also part of recurring medical contingency response preparation designed to maintain readiness.
"The importance is really just to have that contingency capability," said La. "It's better to have the capability and not need to use it, rather than to need it and not have it."
The medical support personnel established a patient decontamination site outside the clinic and practiced procedures designed to prevent contaminants from entering the facility while ensuring patients receive timely medical care.
During the exercise, Airmen assembled decontamination equipment, established separate lanes for ambulatory and non-ambulatory patients, and rehearsed patient processing procedures used during contamination response operation.
This training is a part of a larger training strategy to develop BMS Airmen.
“We have scheduled additional Medical Contingency Response Plan training, which is set for a few hours each month when all of our emergency management teams can review any of the training items,” said La.
Through continued training and recurring capability assessments, JBAB remains committed to maintaining a ready and resilient force capable of responding to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents while safeguarding the health and safety of the JBAB team and the surrounding community.