Photo By Sgt. Tracy R. Myers | A medical team of the 566th Area Support Medical Company, 61st Multifunctional Medical...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas -- Soldiers of the 61st Multifunctional Medical Battalion, 1st Medical Brigade conducted a mass casualty decontamination exercise validation here the week of Sept. 16, certifying them for their upcoming Defense CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosive) Reactionary Force (DCRF) mission.
U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) examined the 546th Area Support Medical Company and the 566th ASMC to confirm they are sufficiently equipped and ready to assume the mission.
While they inspected the soldiers' ability to triage, decontaminate, evacuate and treat patients’, they must also examine procedures and equipment readiness.
The logistics information gathered during this exercise will assist the United States Army Forces Command to standardize equipment packages throughout all ASMCs, said Maj. Anthony Shiepko, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) deputy medical logistics officer.
These units’ procedures will be making an impact Army-wide.
Supporting the exercise were soldiers of 44th Chemical Company and 181st Chemical Company, 2nd Chemical Battalion, 48th Chemical Brigade.
“The chemical company supports evaluation by establishing a decontamination line,” said Larry Ritter, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) operations evaluation analyst. “They can’t successfully perform all aspect of this mission without both components.”
Together, these units are essential in facilitating a mass casualty occurrence involving chemical contamination and medical emergencies.
“We had to react to an insecticide explosion,” said Pfc. Ashley Land, 566th ASMC medic. “This type of scenario prepares you for anything, and it keeps you on your toes.”
The medics and CBRNE specialists had to work well side by side. After triage and before medical treatment, patients were decontaminated.
Medical dummies and role-players swarmed the medic triage team, Land said. They organized a system to deal with the large volume of casualties.
The team must determine which injuries are most critical, and direct them to the appropriate care station.
They were categorized under minor, delayed or immediate care status, Land said. There were certain team members assigned to the litters, so the others could focus on ambulatory victims.
“When you suit up, you go out intending to see injured patients,” Land said. “You go out and treat each patient with as much care as the next.”
The evaluation was designed to replicate a real-life mass casualty decontamination situation, which naturally entails stress.
“I was moderately stressed,” Land said. “If you panic, you can’t think straight but if you are to calm, you’re probably not taking it seriously.”
The live “victims” were instructed to act the part, be frantic and panic appropriately.
“We all go in to this with the mindset that this is a real-life scenario and we handle it accordingly,” said Pfc. Stefanie Emerick, 566th ASMC medic. “The patients were doing a good job playing their roles, and some were more cooperative than others.”
Medics were playing roles at every stage of the mass casualty decontamination evaluation. Emerick was in the non-ambulatory monitoring tent.
“In the patient monitoring tents we treat patients post decontamination, making sure it didn’t cause any further injuries,” Emerick said. “I felt we did really well. We have communication down to a science.”
The medics and senior leaders were all happy with their ability to perform under pressure.
“The medics did excellent work,” said Sgt. Major Michael Kelley, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) surgeon sergeant major. “Their previous experience really shows.”
When it came to evaluation time, medics worked together with CBRNE soldiers to accomplish the task at hand.
“My soldiers were top notch, they performed 100-percent on everything I asked of them, and more,” said Sgt. 1st Class Larry Teakell, 566th ASMC treatment and evacuation platoon sergeant. “Each time we do this, we learn how to do things better and this demonstrates to me that we got all the kinks knocked out. Next time we will perform at 120-percent.”
They have proven ready to assume the primary DCRF mission for the continental United States, on-call, reacting to natural disasters, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive’s, Teakell said.
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 09.27.2013 11:52 |
| Story ID: | 114377 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 403 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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