Photo By Staff Sgt. Steven Colvin | KFOR Multinational Battle Group-East medical Soldiers prepare to lift a casualty onto...... read more read more
Subscribe
Kosovo Force, Multinational Battle Group – East and Camp Bondsteel support elements conducted a force protection validation drill, December 5, 2017 on Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
The installation-wide drill included participation from the Military Police, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Task Force Medical, the MNBG-East Battle Desk, Southern Command Post, Torres Advanced Enterprise Solutions, Area Support Team – Balkans, the CBS fire department and Emergency Medical Support.
“This event is important because it demonstrates the effectiveness by which we can perform as a battle group, along with our support elements and partners, to respond to incidents on Camp Bondsteel and act accordingly,” said Cpt. Grant Nicely, the MNBG-East provost marshal.
The drill helped to validate the force protection and emergency response plans for Camp Bondsteel, Nicely added.
The scenario involved a notional vehicle-borne improvised explosive device that detonated while going through security at the main gate of Camp Bondsteel. The blast, simulated with purple smoke grenades and artillery simulation rounds, created a scene involving eight casualties.
The notional explosion prompted a large-scale response. Torres put the gate on lockdown, apprehended a suspect driving a possible second VBIED and removed casualties out of the blast site. MPs established a cordon as the CBS fire department and EMS arrived.
“I think the effort made by Torres Advanced Enterprise Solutions was particularly impressive,” said 1st Lt. Derek Drouin, the Multinational Battle Group - East deputy provost marshal. “When the simulated bomb went off, their violence of action made for quick work of what could have been a more deadly situation.”
EOD was called to the scene once the second vehicle was confirmed as an unexploded VBIED. Staff Sgt. Gregory Byrd, the senior team leader for MNBG-East, EOD responded.
Byrd said he approached the VBIED manually, which means that instead of using the EOD robot, he put on the bomb suit and searched the unexploded VBIED himself. He found the notional device underneath the right rear bumper. He removed the IED from the vehicle, placed it in a safe area and then disrupted the device with an improvised water bottle charge.
“The precautions that were taken are the ones that we would take in the real world,” assured Byrd. “We generally try to do everything the safest way possible.”
Simultaneously, TF Med went into their mass-casualty incident reaction plan at the CBS Troop Medical Clinic.
Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martinovic, the MNBG-East, TF Med first sergeant, had his medical team tending to casualties with blast injuries including penetrating chest wounds and shrapnel to extremities.
“I believe our team acted quickly, effectively and did as they were trained,” said Martinovic. “I couldn't be more proud of them.”
Martinovic contributed TF Med’s effectiveness to how they train. During prior, smaller-scale MASCAL training exercises, he would strain their system by removing senior medical providers from the scenario, forcing the junior medics to take the lead.
“If a day like this came and we didn't have everybody here,” said Martinovic, “we would still know how to function and step into each others shoes to be able to still give world class health care.”
All participating units performed very well, said Nicely, who pointed out that this drill took place all while MNBG-East maintained their responsibility to the region, as they were also conducting real world missions at the same time.
“For an incident like this versus what happens in the real world, there isn’t really that much difference,” Byrd explained. “We stay at a state of readiness because we are base defense.”
| Date Taken: | 12.05.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2017 11:31 |
| Story ID: | 257988 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 187 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Camp Bondsteel Personnel Conduct Force Protection Drill, by SFC Nicholas Farina, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT