Photo By Tech. Sgt. Noah Tancer | U.S. Air Force Ringo, a military working dog with the 378th Expeditionary Security...... read more read more
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Task Force Longhorn in partnership with the 378th Expeditionary Medical Squadron, Task Force Hurricane, 169th Medical Detachment Veterinary Services and the 378th Expeditionary Security Force Squadron, conducted a large-scale joint force MedEvac litter load training and K9 environment conditioning at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, July 14, 2022.
Army MedEvac capabilities allow USCENTCOM forces to expedite casualties to next-level care and augment base medical capabilities. The K9 conditioning and litter training was held to introduce on-scene medical providers and first responders to what MedEvac is and what TF Longhorn’s capabilities are so that when they’re out on mission conducting their operations, they know what Longhorn can do and what they bring to the fight.
“We show the point of contact units how to work around the aircraft, how to load patients onto the aircraft and how we operate it,” said Sgt. 1st Class Julianne Matics, a flight medic with TF Longhorn. “At the end of the day, we pick up patients, treat patients and deliver them to the next level of care.”
In a pinch MedEvacs are also available to military working dogs. Flight medics can work with the handlers to provide a certain level of K9 care to be a stop-gap to the next level of care.
“As you can imagine it’s a loud and windy environment,” said Matics. “It gets them used to wearing their ear protection and eye protection. So when the dog sees it a second or third time they know what to expect.”
Knowing what to expect is vital to smooth operations as different units can have different ways of conducting medical responses based on their mission set. Litter training introduces units to MedEvac rules of operation so that in the event of a real-world casualty the litter carriers can safely load the patient into the helicopter quickly without injuring themselves.
“It’s a mix of different assets that help make this mission happen,” said Matics. “Establishing a working relationship with them is one of the most vital components to how we function here.”
TF Longhorn’s HH-60M MedEvac Black Hawk helicopters will be leaving PSAB but, in USCENTCOM’s area of responsibility, a MedEvac is never far away because casualty care is always a top priority for those protecting freedom.
| Date Taken: | 07.14.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2022 05:23 |
| Story ID: | 425657 |
| Location: | PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, SA |
| Web Views: | 131 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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