APS teams up with highway patrol

  • Published
  • By Vanessa Hillman
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Airmen from the 60th Aerial Port Squadron teamed up with the California Highway Patrol for a joint exercise for the first time here Nov. 13 and 14. 

Exercise Golden Guardian was designed to test the ability of Team Travis, to process, load and fly the members of the CHP and their equipment to an area in immediate need of their support. 

"We're terribly excited to be working with the California Highway Patrol on this exercise," said Master Sgt. Raymond Ball, 60th Aerial Port Squadron, special planning non-commissioned officer in charge. "We jump at any chance we have to help our friends and neighbors in California. This is a win-win for both our teams." 

Planning for the exercise started two months ago with a phone call from the CHP to discuss the need for such an exercise, said Sergeant Ball. The police force is required by California law to be ready at a moment's notice to deploy to support anything from a natural disaster to riots. If they are not prepared, there would be severe consequences from looting, to people not being able to get to emergency services because of the chaos. 

The two-day exercise tested the ability to process passengers and cargo the CHP would need to operate such as a command and control unit, suburbans, a boat with trailer, pickup trucks and patrol cars. In total the Travis Aerial Port and loadmasters loaded 30 passengers and a total of 20 various vehicles. The equipment was loaded onto a C-5 Galaxy in a mere six hours on the second day of the exercise, along with the passengers to simulate the aircraft's departure. 

The CHP has provided assistance to emergency incidents ranging from solo vehicle traffic collisions to significant incidents such as Hurricane Katrina, the Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakes and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. 

"The CHP's mission is to provide the highest level of safety, service and security to the people of California. One way this mission is accomplished is by assisting, supporting and collaborating with allied agencies especially in a disaster," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. 

By the end of the two days, a lot was learned by both teams. 

"The biggest thing we learned is we didn't really understand what it took to transport a vehicle on a C-5," said Capt. Scott Gillingwater, CHP officer. "We showed up with our normal equipment like aerosols and road flares that we would use on a typical scene and none of that could be transported on a plane." 

The exercise gave them the opportunity to see what needed to be changed on their process and how much cargo they could fit on a C-5, he explained. A learning point was the tires the CHP vehicles used. Typically the vehicles have studded tires. These tires couldn't be driven on the floor of the aircraft, so they had to be loaded on specially cut pieces of wood. Next time they'll know not to have those to save precious time loading the aircraft. 

"It was a great exercise and learning process so we can be prepared and our equipment in order when we arrive," he said.  "This exercise allows the CHP and Travis Air Force Base personnel to practice a real-life possibility - that the CHP will need to be airlifted to a troubled location to provide security and emergency response to the affected area," said Farrow. "We appreciate the opportunity to exercise how that would happen with the Airmen from Travis Air Force Base before a crisis strikes."