The Sparrow Strikes – a multinational flight to emergency medical response

Photo By Sgt. April Benson | Tarmo Leipk, a former Estonian soldier who served in Afghanistan in 2011, functions as an amputee simulated casualty during the Sparrow Strike MASCAL event at the War and Disaster Medicine Centre of the Estonian Military Academy in Tartu, Estonia, March 31, 2022. GHE activities, including realistic joint response exercises, enhance Partner Nation military medical capabilities and promote mutual awareness, familiarity, and confidence. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Luikart)  

TARTU, TARTUMAA, ESTONIA

03.31.2022

Story by Sgt. April Benson 

U.S. Army Europe and Africa     

U.S., Estonian, Danish and U.K. medical Soldiers engaged in an interoperable massive casualty (MASCAL) scenario during exercise Sparrow Strike at the War and Disaster Medicine Centre of the Estonian Military Academy in Tartu, Estonia, from March 28 to April 1.

Sparrow Strike is an annual Estonian military medical training event where clinical personnel from around the world work together to practice tactical combat casualty care from point of injury to damage control resuscitation and surgery.

Elizabeth Baker, U.S. Army Europe and Africa Global Health Engagement Estonian Medical Desk Officer, coordinated U.S. involvement with partner nation forces. Her combined efforts with the Estonian Defense Force (EDF) enabled the exchange of key ideas on combat casualty treatment. Additionally, the multinational event encouraged full participation of operational partners when responding to emergency situations.

“The EDF paramedics and medical officers are professional and exceptionally capable and willing to share their expertise,” Baker said. “Having recently modernized several of their medical units, the EDF demonstrates their commitment to meeting NATO standards.”

During the first two days, each country presented lectures on medical equipment, doctrine and course curriculum on health service support to combat and contingency operations. The interoperable MASCAL scenario took place on the third day. Medics from each nation merged into multinational teams to treat and transfer the simulated causalities.

“For the next patient who came, I was the leader, and I had two British medics and two Estonian medics,” said Major Ronald Setkoski II, a physician assistant with 142nd Area Support Medical Company from the Connecticut Army National Guard. “We received a patient with a simulated gunshot wound through the chest. Having never worked with Estonian or British Soldiers before, we took care of that patient to standard.”

The MASCAL event captured the necessity of effective communication when functioning in a multinational task force. Working through language barriers and differing medical techniques enabled Soldiers to overcome communication barriers in the training environment.

Lance Cpl. Lucy Spence, a medic with 26 Engineer Regiment in the British Army, expanded on the value of interoperable communication. “The biggest benefit in working with host nation allies is the exposure. You’re fresh and you’re practiced in the scenarios. This exercise emphasizes how important communication is. Even though we are from four completely different nationalities, we all have a similar medical background. We can work a lot better together when training that ability to communicate and understanding its value.”

The Sparrow Strike scenario also offered unique training opportunities not often seen in medical exercises. Among them included Estonian amputee volunteers. Staged with intricate moulage and requiring special patient care, these ex-military role players amplified the realism of the scenario and challenged Soldiers to react to actual trauma injuries.

“We received a MEDEVAC with a non-urgent patient. We expected some light injuries, but when the patient arrived we put him straight on the operating table,” recalled junior enlisted service member Karl-Alex Sokolov, a paramedic from the logistics battalion in the Estonian Defense Forces. “We saw that his leg was actually amputated. We saw the bone and blood splattering everywhere. All of the work that was put into that wound made it seem like a real injury. The training gave me a new perspective on what needs to be done and how every action is critical.”

GHE activities enhance partner nation military medical capabilities and promote mutual awareness, familiarity, and confidence. Military medical familiarity and interoperability among NATO nations provide increased survivability of all NATO forces during major combat and multi-domain operations.

• Date Taken: 03.31.2022
• Date Posted: 04.11.2022 05:11
• Story ID: 418104
• Location: TARTU, TARTUMAA, EE