Photo By Spc. Jacqueline Guerrero | The medical group loads a patient on to a gurney during a medical evacuation exercise...... read more read more
FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. - Training in a mock medical evacuation with a helicopter can be dangerous. This is why the medical group at acute care on Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif. takes extra precautions to guarantee the safety of its soldiers and patients, July 18, 2012.
“This is a very dangerous exercise,” said Sgt. 1st Class Roderick Brown, a field medic with an additional identifier as a Licensed Practical Nurse with the 55th Sustainment Brigade located at Fort Belvoir, Va. “Anytime you approach a bird and the routers are still running it is important to be aware of your surroundings.”
The significance of this mock training is to afford their soldiers the knowledge and hands-on experience of dealing with a helicopter, said Brown, a Charlottesville Va. native.
“Our mission for this exercise is training the medics how to load and unload from a helicopter,” said Staff Sgt. Zachary Benton, a Denver, Colo. native with the 5502nd U.S. Army Hospital from Denver, Colo. “We are also ensuring our soldiers keep their head low and are aware of the rotary wings.”
The medical group ensures every one of their soldiers receives a safety brief and are aware of the dangers surrounding this exercise, said Brown.
“Safety is the number one priority,” said Spc. Liaini Vasquez, a field medic with an additional identifier as a LPN attached to the 6250th USAH located at Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Wash. “If the medic is not safe no one is safe.”
The medics also hold a safety briefing when dealing with any aircraft, said Benton.
“The importance of the exercise is to have our soldiers familiar with the aircraft,” he said. “So if they do end up getting deployed they know how to approach an aircraft. They know how to load and unload a patient from the helicopter, ensuring a safe environment for the patient and the medic.”
With a pertinent caveat, Benton’s comrade, Brown, clarifies on why they train on any and every aircraft.
“It is very important to train on diverse types of aircraft because each aircraft is different,” he said. “There are particular standard operating procedures for each aircraft. The medics need to be aware of how to approach the bird to avoid losing a life or a limb.”
The medics also preform a police call to retrieve any debris before the bird makes its way to their facility.
“The police calls ensure the debris on the ground is picked up so it won’t damage the bird as well as the medics,” said Brown.
The goal for the medics is to get their patients unloaded from the aircraft, into acute care, and begin treatment as soon as possible, said Vasquez, a Tempe, Ariz. native.
“The optimal time to get the patient into the clinic and beginning treatment from when the bird lands is under five min,” said Benton.
The medical group’s main mission here at Combat Support Training Exercise 91 is to address sick call patients and any emergency injuries, said Vasquez.
“Our mission here is to provide medical safety for the soldiers participating in CSTX 91,” she said. “Whether they are here for deployment readiness or just to keep up their combat skills, we are here in support.”
“If the soldiers out in the field get injured, we are here to get them to return to duty as soon as possible,” said Benton.
The key to being a medic is to continually train, said Vasquez.
“You can never get too much training when it comes to the medical field,” she said.
The leadership tries to keep their soldiers amped about the training.
“It is always about trying to keep them excited and motivated,” said Benton, “That way they are more perceptive to what we are teaching.”
Repetition comes hand-in-hand with training as well, said Benton.
“A gunshot wound to the chest is different than a gunshot wound to the leg,” he said. “We try to work on everything we can; we always try to keep ourselves trained on different injuries.”
There is one golden rule every soldier can remember while out in the field, said Vasquez.
“Stay alert, stay alive and if you do those two things you wont find yourself in my care,” she said.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 07.20.2012 20:42 |
| Story ID: | 91932 |
| Location: | FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | BELL, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | BEND, OREGON, US |
| Hometown: | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | DENVER, COLORADO, US |
| Hometown: | FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | TEMPE, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 245 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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