In an abandoned building on the outskirts of town, a lab sits fully stocked and prepared to produce chemical weapons of mass destruction.

A tip leads the Air Force Office of Special Investigations to the location. Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear defense teams suit up and prepare to raid the “hot zone” and dismantle the threat, safely and without disturbing the chemicals that lie inside.

In Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, this is just an exercise, but one that prepares CBRN teams for the real world.

“This particular scenario is based on a realistic threat to our local area of operations,” said Master Sgt. Daniel Copsey, 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron readiness flight. “The team formulated a response plan of execution for detection, identification, sampling and decontamination for personnel.”

In addition, the exercise permitted the time to practice the tactics, techniques and procedures associated with the planning and execution of a response to potential WMD or their components, Sergeant Copsey said.

“These procedures are very technical and involve a lot of equipment and logistical support,” he said. “The TTP’s must be (practiced) to keep personnel technically sharp and to get acclimated to the environment inside these protective suits.”

A number of factors determine who responds to the scene. In this scenario, when CBRN teams took action, two teams responded to the threat -- an entry team and a sample team. Entry team members surveyed the room and identified toxins present.

“The initial entry team determines if the room is safe to enter, determines the layout of what’s inside and starts sampling to identify what was there,” said Senior Airman Larry Simon, 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron bioenvironmental flight.

The entry team determines the level of threat present at the scene and takes pictures as evidence and for future training. Then, they set up the work area for sampling and vapor detection and prepare for the next team. In this scenario, the threat was reduced, allowing the sample team to downgrade their protective posture equipment, which is important for mobility since entry teams must contend with uncomfortable, but fully protective, Level A suits.

“Events like this test your physical stamina and mental awareness,” said Senior Airman Estevan Trujillo, 506th readiness flight. “You are looking out at the world through a little window in the suit and the heat, weight and difficulty can impair your mental awareness.

“Verbal communication is limited so you are forced to improvise and communicate through hand gestures and key words,” he added.

After the entry team’s assessment, the sample team was able to collect the needed samples, which allowed them to dismantle the lab. Members of the entry team briefed the sample team on the hazards present.

Working with the entry and sample teams, the 506th ECES fire department provided decontamination at entry control points and worked with the readiness and bio environmental flights for command and control at the scene.

“The exercise tested our ability to work with other base agencies and provide needed assets for their operation in a support role,” said Master Sgt. Peter Ruddle, assistant chief of operations at the fire department. “This allowed fire fighters to set up in an unusual environment and test their skills.

“We were able to perform our strategies and plans in a training environment and provided the opportunity for fire fighters to see how readiness personnel perform in a controlled training environment,” he added.

Real-life exercise scenarios like this allow responders to prepare for real-world events, when there’s more than just a bad write-up on the line. In addition, it allows Airmen who have come from different bases and backgrounds the opportunity to work together as a team.

“We all know our capabilities, limitations and strengths, but we learned that we all need to work together as a team to accomplish our goal,” Airman Simon said.

“The team safely analyzed the hazards, identified the chemicals and performed with no hazard to the team or the environment,” said Master Sgt. Matthew Archuletta, 506th ECES readiness flight chief.

There was no threat this time, but CBRN defense team members like Airman Trujillo learned they can handle any threat that comes their way.

“I have a much greater understanding in this area of our career field and the response to and detection of CBRN and WMD threats in both peacetime and wartime scenarios,” he said.