5th MEB, MARCENT medical teams visit royal Jordanian hospital during Exercise Eager Lion 2016

AMMAN, JORDAN

05.21.2016

Story by Master Sgt. William Price 

U.S. Central Command Public Affairs           

(AMMAN, Jordan)-Medial Corpsmen from 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command, were among guests invited to a mass casualty evacuation drill at the King Hussein Medical Center in Amman, Jordan, during Exercise Eager Lion 2016, May 21.

The aim of the exercise was to train the participants to work in a group at the location of a ‘supposed’ explosion, and how to deal with emergency circumstances, and medical evacuations to test the effectiveness of our quick reaction team and medical staff at KHMC, according to Jordanian Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Dr. Muin Al-Habashneh, Director General of Royal Medical Services.

The exercise began promptly with several explosions and nearly a dozen injured role players exiting the impacted building, crying for medical attention.

To simulate a real-world crisis, first responders reached the ‘bomb’ site, as if they were arriving from their respective bases in the time it would actually take.

Local guards rushed into the fray to assess the threat, followed by a defensive unit leader’s call to the operation room to gage any additional risks. Next, the quick reaction team and guard faction swooped in to cordon off the area. Military policemen and fire control teams ensued on the scene, followed by the first ambulances and fire trucks from civil defenses to deal with the fires.

With no further danger assessed, rescue and first-aid resuscitation teams promptly prioritized the patients and dealt with injuries according to their own specialty and began delivering the wounded to the emergency department at KHMC.

“It was obvious the Jordanian medical staff was very interested in simulating an extremely realistic scenario, with the utmost concerns in providing quality, casualty care,” said U.S. Navy Cdr. Mark Ingram, MARCENT deputy force surgeon and EL-16 lead surgeon for the Combined Joint Task Force. “It successfully highlighted their skills in trauma care, while ‘stressing’ multiple systems simultaneously, from safety and security to the rapid triage of patients. Overall, it was an excellent mass casualty drill.”

At the conclusion of the mass casualty evacuation, the Navy Corpsmen, and other U.S. coalition and honored guests were given a tour of the facility and a medical brief by leaders of the KHMC. Among the sites seen were the Intensive Care Unit, the emergency department and the Burn Unit. Founded in 1973, KHMC is the largest medical hospital in Jordan. Named after King Hussein Abdullah, the medical center admits more than 25,000 military patients and family members annually.

“The hospital visit was amazing. I really appreciated the Kingdom of Jordan allowing us access inside one of their most important facilities,” said U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsmen Petty Officer 1st Class Bryan Pascascio, 5th MEB Force Health Protection Chief, out of Naval Support Activity Bahrain.

“The drill and in particular the tour of King Hussein Medical City opened my eyes to the extensive capabilities of their experienced physicians. Overall, it was an experience I will never forget.”

Currently in its sixth year, Eager Lion, is one of U.S. Central Command’s premiere exercises in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan designed to strengthen military-to-military relationships, increase interoperability between partner nations and enhance regional security and stability.

“Working with U.S. medical forces during Eager Lion has taught me how they operate, from building daily briefs and reports, to implementing simple to more complex medical procedures,” said JAF 2nd Lt. Dr. Firas M. Hammoudeh, a medical exercise planner for EL-16. “We have shared many ideas with one another, and every year the exercise builds on past evolutions of Eager Lion to only get better!”

• Date Taken: 05.21.2016
• Date Posted: 05.23.2016 03:02
• Story ID: 198741
• Location: AMMAN, JO