Home » Home » KSC Emergency Response Team Shines In Competition

KSC Emergency Response Team Shines In Competition

By  //  February 22, 2014

Team protects center’s workforce

ABOVE VIDEO: NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Emergency Response Team performs training simulations to keep their skills current. Members of the Emergency Response Team recently placed in the top five overall at the 2013 International SWAT Roundup in Orlando, Florida.

NASA.gov — Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana is committed to and makes safety at the center a top priority. As part of that commitment, a well-trained Emergency Response Team (ERT) protects the center’s workforce and assets 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

NASA Emergency Response Team members conduct training simulations at the Protective Services Training Academy at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 11, 2013. They are wearing full protective gear and carrying non-lethal firearms, which are denoted in blue, for the training exercise. (NASA.gov)
NASA Emergency Response Team members conduct training simulations at the Protective Services Training Academy at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 11, 2013. They are wearing full protective gear and carrying non-lethal firearms, which are denoted in blue, for the training exercise. (NASA.gov)

Recently, the ERT placed in the top five overall at the 2013 International SWAT Roundup in Orlando, Fla. The competition featured more than 50 teams from Florida, the U.S. and other countries around the world.

During the competition, Kennedy’s eight-member team of security officers employed by Chenega Security Support and Solutions, had the opportunity to train with other teams, shared information about past events and discussed best practices that could help other ERTs cope with emergencies and provide more effective training environments.

NASA Emergency Response Team (ERT) members toss a flash bang diversionary device during specialized training simulations at the Protective Services Training Academy at Kennedy Space Center in Florida while a helicopter hovers above. The ERT members are wearing full protective gear and carrying non-lethal firearms for the training exercises in order to keep their skills current. (NASA image)
NASA Emergency Response Team (ERT) members toss a flash bang diversionary device during specialized training simulations at the Protective Services Training Academy at Kennedy Space Center in Florida while a helicopter hovers above. The ERT members are wearing full protective gear and carrying non-lethal firearms for the training exercises in order to keep their skills current. (NASA image)

“This is the third year in a row that the ERT Team has finished in the top five at the Swat Roundup,” said Mark Borsi, the chief of security. “Their unprecedented success in this tough and prestigious competition demonstrates the teams’ consistent dedication to duty and the rigors of staying prepared to resolve security emergencies safely and quickly. Tragedies at Fort Hood, the Washington Navy Yard, and even Johnson Space Center, remind us of the error in believing, ’it can never happen here.’”

ERT members play a vital role in all of the day-to-day security operations at Kennedy. They can handle anything from a traffic stop, to an active shooter, to a terrorist threat, and also are used whenever the center hosts a VIP.

“We have an extensive training regimen,” said an ERT member. “We train daily between operations. We train weekly at the end of our shifts. And we also cap it off with a yearly training exercise that lasts two weeks.”

BORN LEADERS, READY TO PUT IT ON THE LINE FOR KSC EMPLOYEES

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana is committed to and makes safety at the center a top priority. As part of that commitment, a well-trained Emergency Response Team (ERT) protects the center’s workforce and assets 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (Wiki image)
Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana is committed to and makes safety at the center a top priority. As part of that commitment, a well-trained Emergency Response Team (ERT) protects the center’s workforce and assets 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (Wiki image)

“The professionalism of the ERT Team is paramount. We have people from various backgrounds ranging from law enforcement to military. They’re all born leaders and they’re ready to put it on the line for Kennedy’s employees.” — ERT Member

The ERT members recently completed intensive annual training at the NASA Protective Services Training Academy  and other facilities around the center to keep their competencies and skills current. A wide variety of assets were used during the training, including land vehicles, helicopters, abandoned facilities, special equipment and other resources.

NASA Emergency Response Team-180-1“ERT team members are chosen based on their leadership abilities, their ability to deal with stress, and their ability to overcome physical obstacles they may see day to day,” said an ERT training supervisor.

Another ERT team member said:

“The professionalism of the ERT Team is paramount. We have people from various backgrounds ranging from law enforcement to military. They’re all born leaders and they’re ready to put it on the line for Kennedy’s employees.”