Photo By Staff Sgt. Brittney Vella | Marines with Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII - For Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Marines, in peace or wartime, precious lives lie in the palm of their hands. Marines with ARFF Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, first responders from the Federal Fire Department and Soldiers with Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment based out of Wheeler Army Airfield, conducted loading and offloading casualty training at the MCAS Air Terminal aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Sept. 3, 2015.
In teams of four; comprised of two Marines and two first responders, the objective was to load a simulated casualty aboard a Black Hawk HH-60M Medevac Helicopter, unload the casualty and bring it to the safe zone.
“This type of training is important because it promotes familiarity with each other’s equipment which results in better care for the patient,” said Army Sgt. First Class Patrick Simmon, a flight medic with Charlie Co., 3rd Bn., 25th Avn. Regt. “I am more than confident that when we are put in (a real-life) situation we would be able to get the patient (loaded) efficiently and in a timely manner.”
The Soldiers taught Marines and first responders on the proper procedures for loading a casualty into a Black Hawk Medevac Helicopter. The training gave them a chance to become familiar with the aircraft as well as the hand and arm signals used to communicate.
“It is extremely important we develop a good relationship with the first responders and the Army crew because when something happens and our expertise is required, it is imperative that everyone is on the same page so everything will go smoothly,” said Marine Sgt. Alex Blackwell, MCAS K-Bay ARFF assistant station captain. “The training was extremely beneficial, (considering) our number one priority is to save lives.”
Simmons added the more they train together, the better they will work together in a real-life situation.
“Every time we get to do joint training like this, it will make the process go more smoothly, said Simmon, a Macon, Ga., native. “On the second, third and fourth iteration of the training, the teams got faster and faster. The more we get to do this, the more we can knock out the rust and sharpen our skills.”
The Marines, Soldiers and first responders are scheduled to conduct mass casualty training in the coming weeks.
“Training like this makes MCAS (Marines) more efficient in their jobs and also more comfortable dealing with stressful situations such as a casualty evacuation,” said Blackwell, a Fort Knox, Ky., native. “It's this type of training that is going to make the Marines confident in what they do and will be what saves someone's life when the time comes to utilize this training.”
Joint training supports the mission of MCB Hawaii by sustaining combat readiness and ensures our Marines are properly trained and prepared for the unexpected.
| Date Taken: | 09.03.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.09.2015 16:47 |
| Story ID: | 175540 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Marines, first responders, Soldiers train for emergency, by SSgt Brittney Vella, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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