SGT Milo Kalama, with the Hawaii Army National Guard’s 93rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (CST) based out of Kapolei, had a different type of role during the volcano response.
CSTs were on the ground monitoring the air quality in the areas closest to the eruptions. Getting close enough to collect the required samples meant SGT Kalama and his fellow CST members had to don personal protective gear that sometimes included a self-contained breathing apparatus, which kept the Soldiers from breathing in the deadly toxic gases emitting from Kilauea.
At the time this story went to press, no reported human fatalities were associated with Kilauea’s most recent eruption. However, one serious injury resulted from a lava bomb – a projectile of cooled molten rock – that struck a resident in the leg, putting him in the hospital.
“There are now about 24 [active] fissures and we were on the ground from the time of the first six,” said SGT Kalama. “We’re dealing with a lot of people here who live a [rural] lifestyle – off the grid. They have propane tanks. Because of that, you get additional hazards … like gasoline left in their tanks.”
SGT Kalama went on to note, “We are going to see off-gassing from the fissures. Plus, you have to worry about more than just the sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. You’ve got lava going into the ocean, so you’ve got that potential laze (dense white clouds of steam and volcanic glass particles that are created when the hot lava hits the cool ocean water), which contains dangerous levels of hydrochloric acid.”
SGT Krysten Gennuso, the acting logistics NCO for the Hawaii Army National Guard’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High Yield Explosive (CBRNE) Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP) had a similar mission during the Kilauea response.
