Story by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Toni Burton
USS BLUE RIDGE, At Sea – Marines assigned to Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Pacific (FASTPAC) conducted training on NATO medical causality evacuation procedures in preparation for Talisman Saber 2013, July 12, 2013.
FASTPAC simulated numerous scenarios involving a Marine getting wounded in the battlefield, assessing the situation and calling for a helicopter evacuation with the MH-60S Seahawk helicopter of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 12 "Golden Falcons."
NATO medical evacuations, also called a “9-line,” are used to give critical information involving a person and significant medical information for outside support to come in and assist.
“With Marines being in a business where they have to take causalities, the training is very important,” said U.S. Marine Capt. Christopher Tucker, FASTPAC Platoon commander. “We practice so the Marines can get more proficient and comfortable with assessing the causality to calling in the 9-lines and talking to the pilot.”
“We have the rule called the golden rule, where from the moment a Marine takes the casualty to the moment he is on the operation table, if we can get that within the hour, they have a 90-percent chance of survival,” said Tucker. “So every second counts.”
The training also gave the Marines the time learn how to conduct landing zone (LZ) preparations for a helicopter to come in and pick up a wounded service member or civilian and how to call in a 9-line, which is required for a helicopter to come in and assist.
“We were able to do combined training with the Navy. For us, calling the causality in and preparing the LZ and the helicopter to come in, land and pick up the causality,” said Staff Sgt. Melbin Medina, FASTPAC platoon sergeant, “this gave the Marines time to make their mistakes here rather than on the battlefield,”
FASTPAC, 1st Platoon, from Yorktown, Va., consisting of 52 personal, is forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. FASTPAC is a U.S. Marine Corps Security augmentation force under the operational control of Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet and is embarked aboard the USS Blue Ridge while on naval patrol, building maritime partnerships and conducting security and stability operations.