Photo By Chief Master Sgt. Catharine Spence | Maj. Sharon Westbrook treats a patient during the FEMA II Homeland Response Force...... read more read more
Subscribe
ORISKANY, N.Y. - About 50 Medical personnel from New York Air National Guard wings flexed with the wind and weather to participate in the Homeland Response Force (HRF) exercise at the New York State Preparedness Training Center here April 29 to May 2.
The medical Airmen are among 600 National Guard HRF troops from New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico in the exercise, designed to test their ability to respond to disasters. The training evaluates the HRF's chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear response capability requiring the evacuation, decontamination and medical triage of casualties.
The Airmen comprise the medical element of the HRF, and their primary mission here is medical triage in the wake of a disaster. Led by the 105th Airlift Wing, out of Newburgh, N.Y., the medical element is also made up of medics from the 109th Airlift wing out of Scotia, N.Y.; the 106th Rescue Wing out of Westhampton Beach, N.Y.; the 174th Attack Wing out of Syracuse, N.Y.; and the 107th Airlift Wing out of Niagara Falls, N.Y.
“Our team includes physicians, nurses and (medical technicians),” said New York Air National Guard Lt. Col. Linda Rohatsch, the medical element commander. “When the patients get to us, they’ve already been decontaminated, and our job is to triage and stabilize them so we can return them to duty or send them out to a local hospital for definitive care.”
During the week, the teams had to endure cold, rain and high winds. Because of this, some of their training had to be conducted at an alternate location other than the tents they had planned on. The Airmen agreed that the flexibility they needed mirrored what may happen in the real world, and only made their training more realistic.
“We make do with what we have,” said Rohatsch, who is from the 105th Airlift Wing.
The medical area is set up with an immediate care area as well as a minimal care area. Medics in the non-contaminated zone, or “cold zone” triage the patients and determine which area they will go to once they’ve arrived.
“We’re set up to do anything they can do in an emergency room," Rohatsch said.
This is her first experience with a HRF exercise, said Maj. Sharon Westbrook, 109th Medical Group.
“I am assigned to the minimal tent as a nurse,” she said. “We get them bandaged up or if there are any eye irritations from the chemicals they were exposed to, we take them to the eye wash. We try and get them as stable as we can so we can get them out the door.”
New York Air National Guard Lt. Col. Michael Fishkin, 106th Medical Group, is also assigned to the minimal area. He said all of the units coming together makes it a great training environment.
“There are 10 of us here from the 106th,” he said. “It’s always a pleasure to work with the other units. Everyone has their own unique talents that they bring with them.”
“We always work well together,” said New York Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Jacqueline Sweet-McNeill of the 109th Medical Group. She is one of two working the cold zone triage. “We’re definitely ready for our validation on Friday.”
The medics and the rest of the Soldiers and Airmen in the HRF put their training to the test and successfully completed their validation portion on May 3.
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2014 12:54 |
| Story ID: | 128755 |
| Location: | ORISKANY, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 185 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Air Guard Medics from Across New York come together for disaster exercise, by CMSgt Catharine Spence, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
