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| First responders with the French air force, or l'Armée de l'air, extract a pilot from a Rafale aircraft during a joint crash exercise at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, May 16, 2017. This exercise was the first of its kind at this location, involving first responders across multiple Coalition partners and testing how well they work together. [Faces of French personnel have been obscured at the request of l'Armée de l'air.] (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marjorie A. Bowlden) |
05.16.2017
Story by Staff Sgt. Marjorie Bowlden
380th Air Expeditionary Wing
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SOUTHWEST ASIA – Members of the United States, French, Australian and other Coalition air forces recently participated in a joint crash response exercise at an undisclosed location here, May 16, 2017.
This was the first exercise of its kind at this location, said a wing safety officer with the French air force, or l’Armée de l’air. Its purpose was to test how effectively different components of Coalition services were able to work together in the event of an aircraft crash.
“It was the first time everyone [all Coalition partners] participated with multiple services, including medical teams, explosive ordnance disposal and security,” said the French wing safety officer. “This permits us to improve little by little by observing the entire chain of first responders.”
380th Air Expeditionary Wing personnel answered the simulated call with medical and EOD teams to multiple sites. These teams worked hand-in-hand with Coalition partners to get the situation under control.
The exercise was mainly organized by l’Armée de l’air, said Lt. Col. David, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing chief of safety. However, this kind of training is key for the Coalition.
“This is developing relationships,” said David. “We try to deal as often as we can with Coalition partners. We share the airfield, we share the mission, so we want to work as closely with them as we can.”
Staff Sgt. Brad, team leader with the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron EOD flight, had not worked with French military members before, he said. The training was a challenge, especially because of language barriers, but it was also valuable experience for him and his Airmen.
“There’s a lot of workings that go into it, and I think practice is the main thing,” said Brad. “We train all the time so we don’t have to actually have to get into that situation without knowing what to do. If it ever happens in the future, at least we have a general idea of how everything is going to happen.”
Though the final report is not yet complete, and despite a few communication shortfalls, the exercise went well overall, said David. The training opened avenues to pursue further training between Coalition partners to strengthen joint capability.
“We saw a bit of the different processes between what we do, what the Americans do, and how all of it could blend together on the day of an accident,” said the French wing safety officer. “The most important thing is communication and, above all, that we train together regularly.”
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| Members of the 380th Expeditionary Medical Group medical operations flight transport a patient from the scene of a crash exercise at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, May 16, 2017. Coalition members worked together to respond to two separate exercise sites to test how they would respond in the event of an aircraft mishap. [Faces of French personnel have been obscured at the request of l'Armée de l'air.] (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marjorie A. Bowlden) |
[Editor’s note: Certain quotes have been translated from French.]
[Names of 380 AEW and French personnel have been partially or completely removed for security purposes.]
