Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Selvage | A soldier assigned to the 51st Transportation Company, 77th Combat Sustainment Support...... read more read more
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan –– “Boom,” yells an instructor standing in the middle of a motor pool as soldiers rush to a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to render first aid to their injured comrades inside. Their objective is to practice and master the basics of combat lifesaving skills needed while under realistic combat conditions.
More than 25 convoy escort team members assigned to the 51st Transportation Company, 77th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, received a familiarization course on battle drills, medical equipment and combat lifesaver training inside the battalion motor pool here Feb. 28.
Air Force aerospace medical technicians, attached to the 51st TC, conduct training to prepare soldiers for a worst-case scenario where there is no medic available and soldiers have to perform first aid to the casualties.
“When attacked, and in need of medical aid and assistance, it is imperative that the care given to soldiers on the battlefield is quick and concise,” said Air Force Senior Airman Michael W. Shimmin, a Rancho Cordova, Calif., native, aerospace medical technician attached to the 51st TC.
The refresher course was split into two segments, a classroom portion and hands-on training.
Shimmin said in order for the training to really sink in and motivate soldiers to learn and have these skills, they implemented the crawl, walk and run phases throughout the training.
In the classroom, the instructors went over the basics of CLS and tactical combat casualty care. They covered what to do and what not to do when providing first aid to a casualty in a combat environment.
“We did this by giving a thorough explanation on how to manage injuries and situations relating to massive bleeding, airway management, shock and hypothermia,” said Shimmin.
The instructors handed out CLS bags and explained, in detail, the proper use for each piece of medical equipment the bags contained. They also demonstrated the proper use for the items such as applying a pressure bandage to a soldier’s arm. After ensuring the soldiers had a solid grasp on what each piece of equipment was used for, the instructors quizzed them thoroughly.
“Our goal was to get them combat ready as far as the medical portion is concerned,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Derrick Reynolds, an Alamogordo, N.M., native, aerospace medical technician attached to the 51st TC.
In the classroom, soldiers were provided tourniquets and learned how to properly apply them on their battle buddies and themselves. They had 30 seconds to apply a tourniquet to an identified limb.
Air Force Senior Airman Rony Castañeda-Zamora, a Merced, Calif., native, aerospace medical technician attached to the 51st TC, explained how to prepare a tourniquet for fast and easy application.
The instructors drilled the soldiers using timed tests to guarantee they could apply a tourniquet properly within the required 30-second window.
After learning the importance of a tourniquet, soldiers moved on to the next subject of the training.
Soldiers learned how to correctly call in a nine-line medical evacuation request, said Army Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Brown, a Lawton, Okla., native, 10th SBDE senior medic. They also learned how to fill out a tactical combat casualty care card, which is used to identify the injuries sustained by the casualty for the medical staff.
When the instructors felt the soldiers were proficient in the classroom portion of the training, they moved outside where two MRAPs were staged. It was time for the soldiers to put their training to the test.
Soldiers donned their full combat equipment as instructors provided guidance for the hands-on portion of the training.
The soldiers were divided into three groups, simulated casualties, convoy CLS and a group designated to conduct tourniquet reaction drills.
A couple of the instructors took the group chosen for the tourniquet reaction drills while the other instructors simultaneously conducted training scenarios across the motor pool.
“In order to make the training most effective, we try to give it a more realistic feel and make it challenging in a somewhat fun way,” said Shimmin. “Just as it would be if we were outside the wire, full gear and working around and inside an MRAP makes patient access and treatment somewhat difficult, but we train like we fight.”
Instructors had five Soldiers simulating casualties, marked with medical tape on their helmets labeled with a manageable injury, loaded inside each of the MRAPs.
With the simulated casualties loaded up, the training scenario was ready to begin.
“Boom,” was shouted by one of the instructors to identify the start of the training scenario.
Brown said the trucks were hit by a simulated blast, which produced multiple simulated wounds to the soldiers inside.
Some soldiers, selected as the convoy combat lifesavers, rushed to the MRAPs to apply the appropriate first aid procedures to the casualties, while others provided security around the vehicles.
The combat lifesavers checked casualties for alertness and bleeding.
Shimmin said the difficulties of placing a tourniquet on a soldier inside an MRAP was quickly realized and soldiers adapted accordingly.
Casualties were removed from the vehicles by any means necessary. Some were dragged while others were carried, all depending on the severity of the injuries.
The objective was for the combat lifesavers to address and treat the identified injuries, said Brown. Instructors would decide if the casualties received proper or sufficient aid. If not, their injuries would worsen and possibly lead to death.
After all of the casualties were assessed, cared for and a nine-line MEDEVAC request was sent up, the instructors yelled “ENDEX” identifying the end of the training scenario.
Reynolds said he couldn't have asked for a better outcome as the soldiers became comfortable with an uncomfortable environment.
Each group of combat lifesavers received an after action review to identify what they could improve on and what was done correctly throughout the training scenario.
While the soldiers were conducting the training scenario on the other side of the motor pool, Air Force Tech Sgt. Michael Reyes, a Guam native, 77th CSSB senior medic, and Shimmin conducted the tourniquet reaction drills.
Shimmin said in order to make the tourniquet training more realistic, he had the soldiers run around the motor pool in full gear to get their heart rates up and to stress them out a bit.
After returning from the run, soldiers found their battle buddies sprawled out on the ground and in need of a tourniquet. Their training kicked in and they immediately applied direct pressure to each wound and a tourniquet as high and tight as possible.
Army Sgt. Robert Powell, a Baltimore native, motor transport operator assigned to the 51st TC, said he was able to leave this training with a lot more knowledge on how to care for a casualty in a combat environment.
The training was complete after the groups had rotated through the different jobs at least once and an AAR was conducted, covering the entire day of training.
“It's always nice to see and hear that soldiers truly grasped and appreciated medical training such as this,” said Shimmin. “As a medic, I am now confident in these soldiers' abilities to apply necessary CLS aid to myself and to assist me with my medical interventions out on the battlefield. They are truly among the finest, and train just as hard as they fight.”
| Date Taken: | 02.28.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 03.07.2014 10:51 |
| Story ID: | 121657 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Hometown: | ALAMOGORDO, NEW MEXICO, US |
| Hometown: | LAWTON, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Hometown: | MERCED, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 822 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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