Photo By Sgt. Jonathan Thibault | Fort Carson Fire Department firefighters and a flight medic from Company C, 2nd...... read more read more
FORT CARSON, Colo. - The rumbling and pounding of combat boots was heard across the tarmac as an aircrew was called to respond to an unknown simulated MedEvac emergency in coordination with Fort Carson firefighters, Sept. 24.
An aircrew from Company C, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, worked with Fort Carson Fire Department firefighters for the first time to test its MedEvac response time by simulating a downed aircraft in the mountains.
"The purpose of this exercise was to see how all command echelons would respond to … an event [in which] an aircraft has crashed," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Etienne Cavallaro, UH-60 Black Hawk (MedEvac) pilot and aviation mission survivability officer, Company C, 2nd GSAB, 4th Avn. Reg. "This incident is particularly important to MedEvac crews because we would be most likely one of the first responders on the scene of the accident in order to secure the [extrication] and transport of any victims to the nearest appropriate medical facility."
Company C leadership made the training more realistic by leaving key personnel unaware of certain information about the training exercise.
"My medic was not aware of this exercise and it allowed him to better assess how to approach the accident and what to do: extraction of the victims, triage, first aid, stabilization, preparation for transportation," said Cavallaro.
Fort Carson firefighters were hoisted out of Company C's UH-60 Black Hawk (MedEvac) to make the simulated mountain rescue seem more realistic and see how each organization's protocols differ.
"We didn't do the hoist in the mountains for safety reasons," said Austin Burt, firefighter emergency medic technician, Fort Carson Fire Department. "The training allows us to work without having to take risks but also keep it realistic. We received a great preflight brief and the hoist went perfect. We respond to situations differently than the aircrews and found this as a great opportunity to learn from each other."
Justin Schliske, assistant fire chief, said communication between first responders and aircrews is imperative.
"Communication and knowing each other's procedures is important in these types of rescues," said Schliske. "I have been involved in … two downed aircraft rescues in the past four years. It's definitely prevalent that these things happen. We want to make sure that our aviation counterparts and us are on the same page with the protocols and steps we take to better the survivability of the people we have to help."
Aviation MedEvac training is integral for both civilian emergency agencies and ground commanders during tactical deployments and domestic emergencies.
"We do this combined training to refine our skills so that when called upon we are the most efficient rescue force in a tactical environment," said Cavallaro. "Ground commanders and civilian emergency agencies need to be aware of the hazards that come from approaching a downed aircraft as well as the specific sensitive item components that need to be secured so that they do not fall in enemy hands whether foreign or domestic. In domestic emergency cases, we are mostly worried about the safety and survival of the crewmembers and first responders."
Cavallaro added that firefighters' ability to seamlessly work with civilian counterparts allows them to be an effective tool at the disposal of the Fort Carson commanding general to assist local communities when they are called on.
"The current mission of 2nd GSAB, 4th Avn. Reg., as well as our past response to flooding and fires is a testament to 4th CAB's commitment to excellence in this particular skill set," said Cavallaro. "The training event went very well. It gives us the unique ability to assess our first responder counterpart's capabilities and response time so that if we were to have a real-life event, we would work more efficiently."
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2014 14:23 |
| Story ID: | 144510 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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