A Canadian Armed Forces firefighter assesses a mock casualty’s injuries during a joint medical exercise Feb. 18, 2016 at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The Canadian Armed Forces joined the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing and 41st Combat Aviation Brigade in an exercise to practice first response and medevac capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla)
386th Air Expeditionary Wing
Story by Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla
SOUTHWEST ASIA - Airmen from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing partnered up with coalition forces for a mass casualty exercise at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Feb. 18.
The purpose of the exercise was to test the medical group and Canadian Forces C2 field medical response capability.
“We staged a scenario in which a car crashed into a group of bicyclists off the side of the road,” said Chief Master Sgt. Ruben Vazquez, 386th Expeditionary Medical Group chief enlisted manager. “The team had to respond to six casualties total.”
Mass casualties are intense and you need to be ready, said Senior Airman Alan Villegas, a 386th EMDG medical technician. My mission was to stabilize my patients and get them to a clinic. In the moment being knowledgeable of triaging patients and of the severity of the injuries helped me prioritize and make sure we have the best outcome possible.
From the time an incident on base is reported, medical personnel are typically on scene within five minutes.
“Overall, I believe the exercise was a huge success, said Vazquez. The biggest benefit of this type of exercise is the mutual interaction of the emergency personnel responding to the event and allowing them to truly test their interoperability. The ultimate goal is to challenge the emergency personnel in a controlled environment and build muscle memory so they will be ready in the event of a real world mass casualty.”
In the end, it was also a reminder that in an emergency situation first responders have two things to rely on—their team and their training.
“Working with [coalition partners] was relatively easy. We were able to communicate with each other with ease and do what we needed to do,” said Villegas. “In the midst of the chaos I learned that staying calm and trusting my instincts is the best way to go.”
