Photo By Jessica Kendziorek | 403rd Aeromedical Staging Squadron medical technicians, Senior Airmen Philip Newsome...... read more read more
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KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Have you ever wanted to dress for Halloween in the spring? Well a few airmen volunteered to do just that for the 403rd Wing May unit training assembly. Airmen were made up with simulated medical "wounds" for a mass casualty exercise here for the Aeromedical Staging Squadron, on May 3, 2014.
ASTS members conducted their annual training during the May UTA to test the readiness of the medical personnel.
"The main focus of this exercise was to test the ability of medical personnel to triage multiple patients, transport, and to ensure proper patient care during an incident," said Capt. Edward Mastin Jr., 403rd ASTS medical readiness officer, who was in charge of his first mass casualty exercise. "The results from the inspectors and the personnel playing patients will assist in determining any additional training required to ensure operational readiness."
The mass casualty exercise was comprised of multiple airmen dressed up with simulated wounds ranging from minor injuries, such as cuts, bruises and abrasions, to major injuries, which included broken limbs, sucking chest wounds and abdominal injuries.
"The exercise showed me that I have actually retained something, because I know what to do and I just jumped in there," said Senior Airman Kristan Johnson, 403rd ASTS medical technician. This was Johnson's first mass casualty exercise, and she said it was a good hands-on teaching exercise.
Major Andrew Belcher, 403rd ASTS nurse, said, "The exercise shows what we do in the most basic sense, and having participants with simulated wounds is beneficial to the newer airmen. This exercise is also good for showing what the ASTS would do in a real-world situation."
Mastin said further training will combine mass casualty exercises with the ability to survive and operate in a hostile environment.
Belcher, who has participated in several mass casualty exercises, said that having other units observe these exercises in the future would give them a better indication of what ASTS will do in the field because people are only used to seeing the day-to-day operations.
"These exercises are interesting, and it is something to see," said Mastin. "Anyone is welcome to come see how the ASTS operates while the exercise is happening."
| Date Taken: | 05.04.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2017 15:58 |
| Story ID: | 219948 |
| Location: | KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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