Photo By Maria Pinel | U.S. Army Col. Mitchell Meyers (left), Joint Task Force-Bravo command surgeon, gives a...... read more read more
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Medical personnel and first responders with Joint Task Force-Bravo and the Honduran Permanent Contingency Commission (COPECO) partnered for a three-day training course provided by the U.S. Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute at Soto Cano Air Base, March 15-17.
The Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation Course (MEIR) began with basic scientific concepts to understand radiation and the risks associated with it, and how to identify and treat casualties by using scenarios based on real-world events that would help students understand what has been done in the past to prepare them for future contingencies.
Personnel from JTF-Bravo included a representative from the Fire Department and medics, nurses, physicians, lab technicians and medical planners from the Army Forces Battalion Medical Element who all gained valuable skills to enhance their response readiness to a nuclear or radioactive disaster.
“I started with wondering how this course specifically applied to what I do but as the course went on the instructors did a really good job in breaking it down and tailoring it to what I would need as an emergency response force leader,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Christopher Depuy, fire deputy with the 612th Air Base Squadron at Soto Cano Air Base.
From an all-hazards approach, Depuy said the training provided the tools that would allow him to make critical decisions in the first hours of an incident, setting the tone for decisions to come as an incident commander.
To prepare for potential joint responses in the host nation, emergency personnel from COPECO, the Honduran equivalent organization to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, were also invited to participate in the training, to foster professional exchanges between JTFB and Honduras and in case of an emergency of this nature were to happen.
“It’s always great to work with partner nations, to build those relationships, because as we are globalizing it’s important to have people to rely on when you don’t have the resources to take care of an incident,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Aure Stewart, radiation health officer with the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute based out of Bethesda, MD and course coordinator.
COPECO emergency responders also gained knowledge in a field that is not traditionally covered.
“We now know how to treat a patient that has been exposed to radiation and what signs and symptoms to look out for,” said Dr. Estafana Umaña, doctor with the COPECO medical emergency unit. “We have learned a lot from this course and this bilateral relationship should be continuous because we all win; the country wins, the patients win, and we all create a bond. The [U.S. military] are such great professionals, and we have learned a lot about mobility and humanitarian operations on the field from them. The support they give us is really great,” said Umaña.
The Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute is a unique Department of Defense asset that supports military readiness through these types of exchanges, preparing Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines on how to respond to radiation incidents and how to manage contaminated or exposed patients. The AFRRI also provides rapidly deployable radiation medicine expertise.
“Radiological threats are often overlooked and how to deal with the affected casualties is often not well known. By helping participants understand how it’s different than a normal casualty, it helps them better respond to potential incidents,” said Stewart.
| Date Taken: | 03.18.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2022 18:46 |
| Story ID: | 416966 |
| Location: | SOTO CANO AIR BASE, HN |
| Web Views: | 210 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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