Photo By David Kujawa | During a simulated mass casualty exercise a U.S. Marine and U.S. Sailor are...... read more read more
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GRAYLING, Mich. – The 206th Area Support Medical Company (ASMC), Missouri Army National Guard, is conducting their annual training at exercise Northern Strike 21-2 at Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in Grayling, Michigan, from July 31-Aug. 14. There, they are the first medical unit to evaluate the new interoperable, Multi-Modal Patient Movement (MM-PM) system, a casualty evacuation prototype.
“We’re always looking to find new, better ways to transport patients. It’s a never ending process,” said U.S. Army Capt. Joseph Vincent. “It’s what makes us more mobile and more battle ready.”
Vincent, a physician’s assistant with the 206th ASMC, based in Springfield, Missouri, has over ten years of working in an emergency room as a PA. He said transporting patients is something he is very familiar with, and he is excited about the opportunity to have input on how the Army and other services transport casualties.
“I think this is a fantastic opportunity,” said Vincent. “Usually you only read active duty components testing out new equipment, so for the Guard to be able to get their hands on something and try it during training is an excellent opportunity.”
Currently, casualty evacuation is by ambulance, truck, bus or specially equipped aircraft. The goal is to create a way to transport patients by vehicles or aircraft without the need for reconfiguration.
“Seeing how new technology can be integrated into the war fight helping to make the Army better and more efficient is unique,” said Vincent. “Questioning whether or not it’s going to make my life easier, and if is it going to make the patient’s welfare better, are most important in this evaluation.”
The prototype is a medevac transport unit designed to provide patient movement by air, sea, rail and ground transportation with larger numbers of casualties. The container was brought to Northern Strike 21 for testing and validation. The medical industry has objectives that are complementary to what the military needs, and through innovative partnerships can enhance not only Northern Strike capabilities, but those of the Department of Defense.
“They’ve asked for our opinion on the equipment,” said Vincent. “We tested it through a bunch of scenarios; what patients would be put in there, how we continue to treat them during transport, and so forth. We did have some feedback on it, but ultimately it is a very adaptable system.”
The MM-PM system looks like a shipping container, and will act like a shipping container, making it capable of traveling by many means. At this time it is outfitted to transport up to 12 recumbent casualties, however, the preferred number is nine because that leaves room for a medic to monitor all injured. Northern Strike 21 is the first time the prototype is out in the field for real-world testing.
“I think that Northern Strike is a wonderful training opportunity for medical units,” said Maj. Joseph Schmitz, the commander of the 206th ASMC. “I view the system as just another evacuation platform for me to place my patient on. It’s ready to be moved from my area either to a theater for staging or for evacuation to clear the theater.”
Schmitz recently was part of a training conference where they were brainstorming ways to move large numbers of casualties out of the field to treatment areas. He said at the time they did not have any idea that something like the MM-PM system existed.
“We have to find creative solutions to clear the battlefield, so something like the MM-PMs is very innovative,” said Schmitz. “I don’t know if it’s a valid concept as it is, but we’re (the 206th ASMC) helping them test this concept, what works well, what doesn’t, what they need to add, and what should they think about to get to the next step.”
The MM-PM system is made to be used not only be the Army, but by the Air Force, Marines, and Navy, which makes the joint training that Northern Strike a perfect opportunity for testing out new multi-component systems.
“This is developmental for the military, its military research. We’ll integrate it right into the training,” said Schmitz. “I’m excited to be part of the process that can ultimately result in saving lives in the future.”
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.11.2021 09:28 |
| Story ID: | 402836 |
| Location: | GRAYLING, MI, US |
| Web Views: | 184 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Finding new ways to be mobile and battle ready, by SSG Tegan Kucera, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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