Wing commander joins emergency team in chemical-threat exercise Published June 5, 2013 By Senior Airman Frank Casciotta 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Col. Darren James, the 71st Flying Training Wing commander, donned a lime-green haz-mat suit to participate in an exercise with the 71st Logistics Readiness Squadron and the 71st Medical Group, June 3. The exercise involved identifying a brownish-white powder discovered in the base auditorium. Each month, the 71st LRS emergency management office teams up with the 71st MDG bioenvironmental office to test their ability to deal with chemical threats. "It was really encouraging for us to have the wing commander come out and participate," said Tech. Sgt. Thomas Shearer, the NCO in charge of emergency management. The colonel, Staff Sgt. Travis DePrinzio and Tech. Sgt. Jose Melendez-Alvarez put on the lime-green plastic-looking Level-A suits and entered the Base Auditorium to collect a sample of the suspect powder. All three were wearing a 20-pound respiratory tank under the suit. The tanks provide between 30 and 40 minutes of oxygen. "These suits will fully encapsulate a person, creating a self-contained environment," said Shearer. "The suits provide them the best protection against splash hazards, eye, skin and respiratory damage."