MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The proficiency of a U.S. Air Force medic in a mass casualty event can be the difference between life or death for those that are injured. The Major Accident Response Exercise, or MARE, trains MacDill medics to be ready to perform their duties and to maintain the maximum level of readiness in case disaster strikes.
“In the event of a mass casualty event on or off base, we need to be ready,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Neha Patel, 6th Medical Group field response team chief. “At any point in time, an improvised explosive device could be set off or a similar disastrous event could occur, causing harm to dozens, if not hundreds of people. Our mission is always the same no matter where we are, so we always need to be ready to respond in the case of an emergency.”
The MARE held on Feb. 28th, 2024 simulated a mass-casualty event. More than 30 volunteers participated in the scenario, with injuries applied using makeup and other props, to simulate an aircraft crash on base. Each volunteer was instructed to act out their injuries while roughly two-dozen medical professionals provided field care.
“We hold this exercise annually,” said William Hebert, 6th MDG medical emergency manager. “The part we always want to focus on is getting that triage area set up, and getting those people with serious life-threatening injuries evacuated as soon as possible.”
Simulated casualties were sorted into groups depending on the level of care they would need to survive. Those with life-threatening injuries were evacuated via ambulance, medical transport bus, or transport helicopter.
Personnel from the Tampa Fire Department and a crew of flight medics from Tampa General Hospital joined the exercise alongside firefighters from the 6th Civil Engineer Squadron and defenders from the 6th Security Forces Squadron, to work and share knowledge.
“Not only was this exercise meant to hone their skills,” said Hebert. “It was great to have both enlisted service members and officers working side-by-side, just like they would in the field.”
Every member had a role to play. Whether they were documenting patients ready to be evacuated, transporting victims in critical condition, or supervising those with less severe injuries, emergency personnel at MacDill worked together to complete the MARE seamlessly.
Date Taken: | 02.28.2024 |
Date Posted: | 03.01.2024 15:03 |
Story ID: | 465134 |
Location: | MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA, US |
Web Views: | 110 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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