How the National Guard dresses for COVID-19 and other disasters

The coronavirus pandemic has understandably spurred millions to think about how they protect themselves—and others—in public spaces. And now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advocating for people to wear cloth masks to help stop anyone who might be infected, but asymptomatic, from transmitting the virus. Meanwhile, the type of masks that can halt viral particles from getting through should be reserved for healthcare workers.

But other first responders have drastically different levels of protection at their disposal—from gear that would be overkill for COVID-19 but appropriate for, say, sarin gas, to equipment that’s a better fit for the current disaster. We got a look inside a Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team in Scotia, New York, where Lt. Col. Matthew Woolums walked us through the range of stuff in their kit via video conference.