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FBI informs Airmen of interactions, procedures

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. John Gordinier
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Four FBI agents visited Shaw to give Airmen an overview of interactions, procedures and law as well as dissection of field sampling equipment and their pitfalls March 18.

"The agents were invited to Shaw to help us better understand how the FBI interacts with us and at what level," said Staff Sgt. Jessica Feil, 20th Civil Engineer Squadron readiness and emergency management NCO in charge. "They also gave us information on the weapons of mass destruction sampling process to ensure Shaw has its processes in line with what the FBI needs, as they are the lead federal agency for WMD terrorist incidents."

Members from 20th CES readiness and emergency management flight, fire department, explosives ordnance, bio-environmental engineering, 20th Medical Group, Office of Special Investigations and 20th Fighter Wing plans and inspections attended the event, said Staff Sgt. Andrea Lay, 20th CES readiness and emergency management journeyman.

Special Agent Alan Sosebee, WMD coordinator for the FBI Columbia, S.C., Division, spoke about his role and how it relates to emergency responders, Sergeant Feil said. Agent Sosebee said his office is the conduit to the FBI resources.

The FBI wants Shaw to call early on an issue or incident, she said. They want to be notified on an incident that turns out to be nothing rather than not to be called until it is too late.

Special agent James Mahoney, FBI Hazardous Material Response Unit field program, discussed the part FBI plays in the national framework and how they will integrate once they arrive on scene. Agent Mahoney talked about HMRU's roles and capabilities as well as what to expect during a response, what to expect during special events and the role of the Joint HAZMAT Assessment Team.

Dr. Sheri Bettis, a chemist with FBI's HMRU, went over field screening of hazardous materials and its strengths and weaknesses, even describing some of the different detectors used.

Her presentation focused on taking scientific equipment to the field and the possible associated pitfalls Dr. Bettis discussed numerous case histories based on actual incidents with less than desirable interpretations of data.

Senior HAZMAT officer Kevin Johnson, FBI HMRU, gave detailed information on specific case studies where the team went out on calls. He talked about the problems they ran in to as well as lessons learned for the responders.

The case studies were a unique perspective, Sergeant Feil said; it ranged from a Chlorine incident in Graniteville, S.C., to the death of the prime minister of Georgia.

"I enjoyed the lectures and gained a better perspective of the FBI's role in WMD incidents as well as a clearer picture of our role in a WMD crime scene," she said. "The discussion on field screening was very helpful because it highlighted the detection systems we use and how interpretation of results can skew your results greatly.

"We must approach WMD detection not just as a protocol, but with an increased knowledge base to accurately identify the threat," Sergeant Feil said.