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BARAHONA, Dominican Republic- The 437th Ground Ambulance Company from Southern California was recently supporting the Beyond the Horizon 2014 humanitarian exercise in Barahona, Dominican Republic, on April 9. The 437th is providing medical support to Soldiers and Airmen working at the construction sites and on the Forward Operations Site as part of Task Force Larimar.
During BTH 2014, TF Larimar will be constructing three clinics and two classroom buildings at five different locations within the Barahona Province. Medical and dental services will be offered free of charge for one week each in six different locations as part of this exercise.
“For us, it’s very important to maintain safety awareness with all Soldiers and Airmen in order to prevent accidents and avoid casualties while working at each construction site,” said Spc. Ramírez, combat medic with the 437th Ground Ambulance Company. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to stay healthy and especially important to remain hydrated while working in a hot environment like this.”
During her two-week tour in Barahona Province, Ramírez provides daily medical support at the Palo Alto construction site from dawn to dusk.
One of her responsibilities is to monitor air temperature every two hours. These temperature readings are sent to the Tactical Operation Center monitoring team who establish a proper rest and work cycle for all those working at the construction sites. Any heat casualty will be immediately treated, then documented and the information relayed to the TOC.
In case of an emergency, Ramirez will request the site’s noncommissioned officer in charge to initiate the procedure for either land or air transportation of the casualty for medical treatment. This choice depends on the severity of the situation. She will treat and stabilize the casualty while the decision on how to evacuate is made.
In the medical area of each construction site, a black flag is displayed as a warning sign whenever the temperature reaches the 90̊̊̊ Fahrenheit threshold. As a medic, it’s her responsibility to ensure all Soldiers and Airmen have enough rest and water in order to stay properly hydrated. She also provides sun block products to each Soldier and Airman to prevent sunburns.
For Ramirez, as a medic she feels it is important to provide medical services, prevent diseases, and help the people of the Dominican Republic maintain good health. As a soldier, she enjoys fostering ties with the local community and then showing them the humanitarian aspect of helping others in need.
| Date Taken: | 04.11.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.01.2014 09:12 |
| Story ID: | 131753 |
| Location: | BARAHONA, DO |
| Web Views: | 218 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 437th Ground Ambulance Supporting 'BTH 2014', by SGT Julio Saunders Garcia, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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