PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- In the warm, muggy Florida spring, more than 300 military medical personnel from 15 different military installations from across the U.S. converged at the 920th Rescue Wing here for a joint medical exercise May 9 -15 to prepare for real-world wartime emergencies.
The 920th Aeromedical Staging Squadron put on MEDBEACH 2016, a joint service exercise, to prepare military medical personnel for deployments by offering realistic hands on war and humanitarian situations. The exercise also provided the 920th RQW reservists an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with their active duty Air Force, Air National Guard, Army and civilian counterparts.
“We are reinforcing the total-force concept between the services, by providing the most realistic situations possible during the exercise.” said Maj. Stephen Grant, 920th RQW ASTS training coordinator.
MEDBEACH 2016 is designed not only to provide realistic training, but to do it on a budget that saves taxpayers up to $2 million dollars by having military train military. Cost-saving comes naturally to this exercise because one weekend of intense training fulfills several annual training requirements which normally require Airmen to seek out at different locations and different times of the year.
The exercise scenarios incorporate the annual requirements of mass causality, natural disaster, disease containment and chemical, biologic, radiologic, nuclear and explosive warfare.
However, with more and more refugees being displaced from their home countries, adds a different focus of training this year.
“Adding the humanitarian aspect of this training is vital. It’s more likely our Airmen will be a part of relief efforts in a real-world situation today more than ever,” said Grant.
The added training includes medical care for refugees, like dental, eye exams, x-ray capabilities and complete medical evaluations.
“In preparation for adding the humanitarian piece to the training, we showed our people videos of the real-world, current situation of the Syrian refugees and the struggles they are going through,” said Senior Master Sgt. Tony James, 920th ASTS chief of enlisted personnel. “It seemed to add an element of self-worth to the mission. Everyone here has a role.”
A C-17 Globemaster III and C-130/H airlift aircraft were flown in to provide a staging platform for stabilization and transport of battlefield-injured service members. This part of the exercise not only addressed the medical aspect of the patient transport, but provided the perfect opportunity for the ASTS Airmen to train together.
With so many military from all over, participating in this exercise creates a environment that best simulates a deployment.
We have medical rescue warriors in from Minnesota to Washington State and everywhere in between, said Grant.
The hands-on exercises are essential to getting an injured service member off of the battlefield, determining what care is needed and then getting that patient either back to the United States, or back to duty.
There are certain steps taken during wartime injuries, and military medical professionals play a vital role in getting these injured patients the care they need. From the time of injury, it’s a mad rush to get that patient off the battlefield, and to the care they desperately need, as fast as possible.
The minute the service member is injured, first aid is administered on site, while a call for help is dispatched to the nearest rescue facility. Then, a recovery unit is sent to pick up the patient – usually a rescue helicopter – and take them to the closest combat hospital where they are evaluated by medics to determine their needs. Depending on that outcome, they are treated and either sent back to the U.S. for continuing care, or back to duty.
The survival rate is more than 90 percent due to an efficient patient movement system, Grant said. But due to fiscal constraints and limited manpower, it can be a challenge to keep medical Airmen trained on the latest and greatest.
“We have a lot of corporate knowledge here, and a lot of Airmen who have never deployed,” said Lt. Col. Corey Anderson, 920th ASTS commander. “These are the most realistic scenarios most will see before and actual deployment.”
“It’s one thing to read about these scenarios,” said James. “It’s another to feel the weight of a patient on a stretcher, or the heat coming off and aircraft when loading that patient.”
Our goal is getting to the lowest common denominator and to share the experience of the seasoned veterans with our newest Airmen, said James.
“My job is easy because I have the right people in place,” said Anderson. “It’s exciting to be able to provide a realistic training opportunity to our Airmen.”
Preparing them for war and life-saving is paramount. This training prepares them the best we can to get them out there to do the job, said Anderson. It’s inspiring peace within the Airmen when that time comes.