Photo By Chief Master Sgt. Paul Mann | Army and Air National Guardsmen carefully exit the helicopter pad at the Mile Bluff...... read more read more
Subscribe
MAUSTON, Wis. – The hospital is already at maximum capacity when the disaster strikes Wisconsin causing massive damage. Now overwhelmed, Mile Bluff Hospital is sending patients to a military trauma center set up nearby.
This is the scenario here as the hospital incident command team partnered with the National Guard during the PATRIOT exercise which ran July 21-23. As patients are transported by air and ground, the Air National Guard provided medical command and control at the hospital. This is the first year Mile Bluff has participated in PATRIOT, and the lessons learned were important for the entire hospital staff.
“We are in a location where we could play a major role,” Jim O’Keefe, president and CEO of Mile Bluff, said. “While the hospital is small, it could be critical during a natural disaster.”
Founded in 1883, the 40-bed hospital was the backdrop to a major piece of this year’s PATRIOT exercise.
Natural disasters from hurricanes, earthquakes, winter weather, severe weather, wildfires and flooding can strike any time, and this exercise allows the National Guard to train with state and local governments providing an opportunity to leverage partnerships and working relationships.
The National Guard is an integral part of the overall response to support state and federal authorities in response to natural and/or manmade disasters
PATRIOT showcases the joint aspect of the National Guard and interagency cooperation between state and county emergency management agencies and first responders.
“This was a chance for us to work in a world-class exercise, and we learned a lot,” O’Keefe said.
O’Keefe added the exercise gave them a chance to interact with the military.
PATRIOT is a Domestic Operations training exercise sponsored by the National Guard Bureau and accredited by the Joint National Capability Program and focuses on increasing the understanding of coordination with local, state and federal organizations. PATRIOT focuses on increasing the understanding of coordination, policies, and procedures required in conducting a Joint Inter-Agency domestic response.
The National Guard can rapidly respond to any natural or manmade disaster, saving lives, easing human suffering and protecting property and PATRIOT allows units from across the country with unique capabilities to train together.
| Date Taken: | 07.22.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2015 11:46 |
| Story ID: | 171031 |
| Location: | CAMP DOUGLAS, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Local hospital participates in PATRIOT 2015, by Stephen Hudson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT