ARMEDCOM puts ‘Safe’ in Safety

Photo By Staff Sgt. Marnie Jacobowitz | The 2014 Best Warrior Competition took place in the sub-zero conditions, snow-blanketed mountainous terrain in Fort Harrison, Mont., Feb. 24 – 27, 2014, where many safety hazards can occur. The Army Reserve Medical Command and the 4225th United States Army Hospital in Helena, Montana, conducted risk assessments, presented event safety briefings, and utilized beacon tracking systems to ensure proper safety precautions are adhered to for an accident-free and successful competition.  

HELENA, MT, UNITED STATES

03.01.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. Marnie Jacobowitz 

Army Reserve Medical Command

HELENA, Mont. - During a massive snowstorm, with freezing rain, strong winds and treacherous blizzard conditions, the top priority for the Best Warrior Competition cadre of the Army Reserve Medical Command is ensuring the safety of each Soldier, both cadre and competitors, during the competition at Fort Harrison in Helena, Montana, Feb. 24-27, 2014.

Soldiers of the 4225th United States Army Hospital demonstrate proper safety precautions to ensure the success of the Best Warrior Competition, also known as, Operation Arctic Tundra.

Thirteen Soldiers traveled across the country to brave the sub-zero temperatures and snow-blanketed mountainous terrain for the title of ‘Best Warrior.’ The Best Warrior Competition tests Soldiers physical endurance, military knowledge, and mental perseverance. This competition is an opportunity for Warriors to highlight their military skills and comprehension in a competitive environment.

Sergeant 1st Class Paul D. Martin, a budget analyst with ARMEDCOM in Pinellas Park, Fla., oversees and manages the competition.

"The biggest safety risk during this competition would be the snowy weather and freezing temperatures,” said Martin, explaining the temperatures during the competition ranged between 2 and 40 degrees with 2 feet of snowfall daily.

Martin, a native of Sanford, Florida, mitigates these risks with months of pre-planning, educating and coordinating with the 4225th USAH safety officer on ground in Montana.

Staff Sgt. Van Puckett, a nurse with the 4225th USAH, and the ground safety officer for ‘Operation Arctic Tundra,’ went through every event to compile a list of weather safety hazards and came up with ways to mitigate the risk.

Puckett’s list consists of, chilblain, trench foot, frostnip, dehydration, and hypothermia, all winter weather concerns the competitors and cadre may encounter during the Operation Arctic Tundra competition.

• Chilblains are patches of red, swollen and itchy skin, often caused by cold weather and sometimes made worse by poor circulation.

• Trench foot, also known as immersion foot, occurs when the feet are wet for long periods of time. It can be quite painful, but it can be prevented and treated.

• Frostnip, a mild form of frostbite, irritates the skin, causing redness and a cold feeling followed by numbness. Frostnip doesn't permanently damage the skin.

• Dehydration occurs when you use or lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn't have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions.
• Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature.

"We mitigated those risks by education and issuing extreme cold weather gear,” said Puckett. “As well as, providing sun screen, Chap Stick, extra boots and socks."

Puckett stated, medics are on site at each event with warming huts and an ambulance.

Implementing safety precautionary measures for each event and educating competitors and cadre on common winter injuries ensured an accident free and safe outcome during Operation Arctic Tundra.

The event with the highest risk factor and most concern was the land orienteering event, which consists of 3 to 5 kilometer hikes through the deep snow along the Elk Horn Mountains here, said Puckett.

"I felt safe because the cadre here set-up and prepared for various safety issues," said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Maglott, a combat medic with the 7236th Medical Support Unit in Fort Bragg, N.C.

Puckett wanted to be able to find a way to locate the Soldiers while simultaneously tracking their health status, so he came up with the idea to use the Montana Home Station Instrumented Training System known as HITS.

"It’s a personal location beacon tracked by satellites … if Soldiers are stationary for more than ten minutes it will notify us and locate them,” said Puckett. “The beacon weighs approximately 4 pounds with a 4-hour battery life and has the ability to access and modify casualty status remotely.

"The HITS was a cool system to have,” said Maglott. “It was like a security blanket, knowing that I was being tracked in case of any issues."

• Date Taken: 03.01.2014
• Date Posted: 12.30.2014 17:45
• Story ID: 151229
• Location: HELENA, MT, US