Photo By Staff Sgt. Orlando Corpuz | Lt. Col. Steven Augugliaro, 154th Wing F-22 flight safety officer, works with members...... read more read more
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Firefighters, paramedics and medical response Airmen raced to the JBPH-H flight line November 20, for a pilot extraction exercise focused on recovering personnel from fifth-generation aircraft.
This scenario was held to validate and improve Team Hickam's competency in rapidly aiding, egressing and transporting an F-22 Raptor pilot, experiencing signs of decompression sickness, to a U.S. Navy hyperbaric chamber.
"Thankfully, we don't see this type of emergency very often, thankfully," said Hawaii Air National Guard Lt. Col. Steven Augugliaro, 154th Wing F-22 flight safety officer. "When you don't get to execute the processes and procedures that you have, then it's important to practice going through the motions every so often. You'll find things in the books may need to be updated, such as phone numbers, who the point of contact is for a certain function, or if new rescue equipment is and is not compatible with pilot's gear."
The event kicked off in the same manner as any other in-flight emergency, with a radio-in declaration from the pilot to the ground staff, informing the nature of the emergency and initiating a call-in sequence for first responders to make their way toward the pilot's grounding location.
Within minutes, the first wave of personnel, referred to as 'Crash Net 1,' arrived on the scene. The crew entailed firefighters and Emergency Medical Service personnel from the Federal Fire Department based out of JBPH-H and Tripler Army Medical Center, the Supervisor of Flying, followed by Air Force medical teams, to include a flight surgeon, aerospace physiologist, and aerospace medical technicians who combine their medical expertise to determine the best course of action.
While the potential for experiencing physiological ailments can happen to any airborne traveler, F-22 operations rely on additional layers of safety precautions due to the advanced maneuvering capabilities, higher altitudes of flight and the single occupancy limit per each aircraft.
For the training purposes, the pilot was experiencing paralysis on one side of his body and slurred speech, a condition that Maj. Kimberly Dowd, 15th Medical Group aerospace physiologist and exercise planner, considers to be a neurological (Type 2) form of decompression sickness, warranting an immediate extraction and transport to a hyperbaric chamber for treatment.
According to Dowd, the effects of decompression sickness can lead to long-term medical complications if immediate care is not provided, potentially causing an aviator to end his or her career early. When nitrogen bubbles make their way out of the bloodstream and into the circulation to include joints, the lungs, heart, brain, and skin, this can have detrimental effects on a pilot's cognitive faculties and motor functions. In these cases, administering high-flow oxygen and rapidly transporting the pilot to the hyperbaric chamber, operated by Naval Shipyard Sailors, is paramount. The hyperbaric chamber administers oxygen at depth and crushes the nitrogen bubbles and allows time for nitrogen bubble reabsorption and treats the damaged tissues.
"We primarily rely on preventative systems, such as the work of Aircrew Flight Equipment Airmen, maintenance inspections pre-flight checklists, training, and of course the pilots themselves and their intricate knowledge of their weapon system to keep them safe," said Dowd. "But if anything fails and our help is needed, we are prepared and ready to respond. This exercise allows us to identify any holes in our internal checklists, correct them, and continuously work to improve, learn, and execute it better during the next exercise or potentially for a real-world event."
Unlike more conventional airframes such as the KC-135 Stratotanker and C-17 Globemaster IIIs based at JBPH-H, the F-22 cockpit is strictly accessed through a canopy, requiring maintenance crews to deploy specially adjusted stands for extraction. The aircraft is also outfitted with an array of sensitive instruments, presenting another layer of challenges for personnel who assist with the egress sequence.
The federal firefighters of Hawaii and medical personnel receive familiarization training with fighter aircraft. However, rehearsing a live mishap alongside all associated agencies is a drill held less frequently.
"Today was also important because it allows the folks who would respond to an aircraft emergency actually to get up close and personal to the aircraft," said Augugliaro. "That refreshes their memory of what to watch out for, where the sharp objects are on the aircraft, what not to touch, etc., when responding to an aircraft emergency."
As first responders continue to provide care for the pilot and coordinate a transit plan, a secondary wave of 15th Wing and Hawaii Air National Guard support agencies assimilate information to improve the condition of command and control and produce a detailed after-action report. Members of Wing Safety, Air Terminal Operations Center and the Wing Control Center maintain channels of dialogue through conference calls, on-scene notes and direct reports from medical points of contact.
Following the egress and initial medical treatment, the pilot is loaded onto a medical vehicle transported to the hyperbaric chamber. Capt. Nick Crain, 15th Medical Group flight surgeon, clenches his radio each step of the way, overseeing his patient's condition and relaying the information to Navy divers who operate the lifesaving equipment at their destination.
The mobile recompression chamber is packaged into a structure that resembles a freight car and is staged in a shared location where divers and aircrew can receive treatment in decompression scenarios. After the pilot is escorted through the re-recompression process, accompanied by a tending sailor inside the chamber, the Airmen and Sailors hold a joint familiarization briefing over the Navy equipment and medical procedures.
To conclude a fast-paced and high-pressured sequence of events, Dowd called 'Endex' to the group, a term that signals the end of the exercise. For the majority of participants, this was the most elaborate and realistic training experience that integrated all response agencies into a cohesive force.
Prior to calling it a wrap, planners and participants staggered into a socially-distant circle to discuss their observations of best practices and provided feedback for instances that could be improved upon.
Safety and emergency response is an essential component of all military operations, one that requires non-stop training and development in order to achieve peak levels. Full-scaled emergency scenarios such as this pilot extraction exercise ensure that members can evolve their methods to meet the demands of any situation that comes their way.
Based on the positive consensus of the event, Dowd said she is pleased to see that her team is already working on plans to potentially turn the one-of-a-kind response scenario into an ongoing series of training exercises.
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2020 02:03 |
| Story ID: | 383748 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 129 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Response teams perform pilot recovery in joint exercise at JBPH-H, by TSgt John Linzmeier, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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