Cohesion under pressure: Lifesavers hone craft during realistic casualty training

Photo By Staff Sgt. Kirstin Spanu | Lt. Regina Johnson, a chaplain with 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, plays the role of a simulated casualty with neck and arm wounds during pre-deployment training at Camp Lejeune, N.C, June 28, 2014. Several role players helped provide a more realistic environment during training for medical personnel as they responded to a simulated mass casualty scenario.  

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

06.28.2014

Story by Lance Cpl. Kirstin Spanu  

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Fake blood pooled on the ground as medical staff rushed a stretcher into the tent where members of the Forward Resuscitative Surgical System team from 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group waited to provide lifesaving care to their patient, a dummy mimicking severe battlefield trauma.

Blood slicked the tent flour and stained their tan boots with crimson splotches as the FRSS team assessed the patient’s level of injury on the last day of their Pre-Deployment Trauma Training Course here, June 28.

The FRSS, a mobile medical unit, is comprised of four physicians, four corpsmen and two nurses, all from different medical backgrounds. The team at Camp Lejeune came together for the first time June 1 in preparation for their deployment to support a Special Marine Air-Ground Task Force heading toward Africa.

Only a few weeks later, their ability to work as a team was tested in the chaos of the medical tent.

“We’re out here to help gel the team together so they can perform the best they can,” said Cmdr. Tuan Hoang, director of the course with Fleet Surgical Team 3, which helped conduct the training.

The battalion invited Fleet Surgical Team 3 to help them prepare for their deployment by providing lectures, proctoring the hands-on evaluations, and leading discussions following the simulations.

Inside the tent, role players struggling with the pangs of simulated wounds added to the stress working against the FRSS team. Blood sprayed from wounds and dripped from cut uniforms. The tent staff fought to staunch the blood flow, provide oxygen, and stave off shock as they treated both dummies and actors wearing CutSuits, hyper-realistic surgical simulators that mimic the inside and outside of the human body.

Actors also wore rubber wounds that simulated chemical burns, fractured bones or glass protruding from a wound. They screamed and shouted inside the tent. As many as four patients competed for the medical staff’s attention at any given moment.

“We were presented with very difficult scenarios, which we overcame,” said Lt. Cmdr. Martin Arrisveno, an emergency medical physician with the FRSS team. “It’s just maintaining that cohesion and improving upon that which will further ensure our success.”

The FRSS team will continue growing as a unit and keep their skills sharp during deployment by participating in sustainment training along the way.

“As long as we continue our training and maintain our cohesion, I think our results will be fantastic,” said Arrisveno.

• Date Taken: 06.28.2014
• Date Posted: 07.01.2014 15:19
• Story ID: 134988
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US