Photo By Staff Sgt. April Mota | Four members of 1192nd Engineer Company bring a casualty from the site of impact to an...... read more read more
BAGHDAD — Several different units pulled resources together to validate and refine their procedures for responding to a mass casualty event on West Liberty March 1.
Soldiers who usually turn wrenches and fasten bolts found themselves turning tourniquets and fastening neck braces to fellow Soldiers after a simulated mortar round hit their living area.
Casualties lay on the ground with everything from head injuries to open abdominal wounds. Combat lifesaver-trained Soldiers arrived on site within seconds to provide first aid. As they administered the first aid, aid and litter teams began sweeping the pad to provide help.
Once the medics made it on site, Soldiers were assessed by severity and loaded into an ambulance. The Soldiers were then taken to the proper facilities based on the extent of their injuries.
First Lt. Andrew Kaplan of Dracut, Mass., the 101st Engineer Battalion physician assistant, praised the battalion aid station for its response to the exercise. He said he was pleased that everyone stayed with assigned tasks, which helped them keep order and maintain a high degree of professionalism.
"This was more than medical training," Kaplan said. "These exercises help us determine if there are any changes needed to make our ability to respond in a coordinated fashion better."
Kaplan said these exercises allow them to evaluate each component of the training in order to refine and perfect their procedures, so they will perform more efficiently in a real situation.
While the medics treated the casualties, Sgt. John Potenza of Lynne, Mass., the 101st Eng. Bn., battle noncommissioned officer, worked to gather accountability from each unit command post. He then reported the information, including injuries, to the battalion commander.
"This was a pretty thorough exercise," said Potenza. "We did more than just casualty treatment. We looked at response time, proper use of casualty collection points, accountability, and use of designated teams, like the aid and litter team."
Once all the casualties had gotten proper medical treatment and each Soldier was accounted for, the unit ministry team arrived to provide emotional and spiritual help.
"We are on site to provide comfort to the injured Soldiers, and for those who are caring for them," said Spc. Lisa Prochnow, Hubbardston, Mass., the 101st Eng. Bn., chaplain assistant. "The caregivers are so busy taking care of the wounded, they may need some help processing everything after everyone has been treated and they get some down time."
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2010 10:39 |
| Story ID: | 46088 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 207 |
| Downloads: | 169 |
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