Al Asad Air Base tests mass casualty response

Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Jayson Price | Maj. Matthew Mestemaker (left), the anti-terrorism force protection officer for Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, observes the response to a simulated aircraft crash during a mass casualty exercise, Aug. 21. The exercise was a team effort by emergency responders and medical personnel aboard Al Asad.  

AL ASAD, IRAQ

08.21.2009

Story by Staff Sgt. Jayson Price 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — Marines wearing torn and discarded Army camouflage uniforms helped each other apply imitation blood and severed limbs as they were briefed on a scenario they were expected to bring to life.

It was 4 a.m. for the Marines of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group (Forward), and the day was just getting started.

All 52 Marines took busses to the airfield, where a mass casualty exercise would draw mass cooperation from multiple units aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Aug. 21, 2009.

A towering KC-130J military transport aircraft marked the spot where exercise coordinators directed the mock casualties to place themselves in and around the aircraft. Some even scattered themselves more than 100 meters away, hiding in the sand behind slabs of concrete to make the job of rescue personnel a little harder and a little more realistic.

Just as the sun began to rise, a call went out to emergency response crews that a plane had crashed with passengers scattered and thrown from its fiery wreckage, thus beginning the exercise.

In the distance, lights of fire trucks and rescue vehicles began to tear across the horizon as first responders rushed to the scene.

"The casualties that the first responders experienced were anywhere from psychological trauma down to significant burns resulting in more than 70 percent of the body," said Navy Lt. Payton G. Fennell, the medical officer for II MHG (Fwd). "I think that adding the level of realism is very important because a lot of times you will have injuries that look bad, however, a life threatening injury could be something that is more subtle."

But, in this case, there were no subtleties.

Some simulated injuries included plastic body parts, such as exposed bone, torn flesh and even severed limbs that shot dark red liquid at unsuspecting rescue personnel.

Before the exercise, each Marine received written instructions that included the type of injury they were expected to simulate. Some walked around in a daze, some screamed for help and some pretended to go crazy, even going so far as to jump behind the steering wheels of parked fire trucks.

"The Army Combat Support Hospital came up with scenarios based on information gathered from past aircraft crashes," said Fennell. "We made sure the Marines who were acting as passengers and patients understood how they would truly be acting. That way, we could further assess the medical capabilities of the responders."

"It was truly a team effort of all of the emergency responders and medical personnel aboard base," said Maj. Matthew Mestemaker, the anti-terrorism force protection officer for Al Asad. "The base hospital reworked their mass casualty response procedures recently and wanted to put them to the test."

Some firemen lugged fire hoses across desert sands and went through procedures to control the imaginary fire. Others joined medical personnel and carried survivors away from the aircraft so they could be triaged and sent to the closest medical facility capable of treating their specific injury.

"The overall goals of the exercise were to ensure emergency response procedures are in place for a mass casualty, ensure emergency responders react correctly, and ensure emergency responders and the base hospital can handle an overflow of casualties," said Mestemaker.

"As far as mass casualties go, having a scenario like this is the way to train," said Fennell. "You never truly know what you have and what you need unless you do something like this."

Although this mass casualty exercise involved a mock plane crash, the tactics, techniques and procedures applied by rescue personnel can be used in a wide variety of disaster scenarios involving a large number of people.

• Date Taken: 08.21.2009
• Date Posted: 09.12.2009 03:57
• Story ID: 38637
• Location: AL ASAD, IQ