Photo By Master Sgt. Jeffrey Grossi | Tech. Sgt. Jenna Klingensmith, 911th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron AE technician,...... read more read more
In a demonstration of international military cooperation, nearly 50 medical professionals from the 911th Airlift Wing mobilized to train alongside the Royal Air Force Medical Reserves 612 Squadron at Leuchars Station in Scotland. From June 10 to June 14, 2024, the joint training exercise aimed to enhance the medical readiness and interoperability of both units. The collaboration emphasized American and British medical personnel working together on various scenarios designed to test and improve their emergency response and aeromedical evacuation capabilities.
“Exercise Reserve Steel is part of a series of exercises that we established as part of the RAF Medical Reserves and the United States Air Force Reserves,” said Squadron Leader Jason Aslett, the executive officer assigned to the 612 Squadron. “We exercise the operational patient care pathway concentrating on aeromedical evacuation.”
The operational patient care pathway dictates who is responsible for the patient's management at each point of their care and when and how that responsibility should be transferred to other professionals (handover), and is based on the care agreement between the professionals involved. A process that may provide challenges for medical professionals who, at a moment's notice, may need to work directly with an Allied service from across the pond.
“Reserve Steel enables key NATO allies, the UK and the US, to better understand how we deal with casualties in a war environment and how we evacuate those casualties,” said Aslett. “Invariably, we operate together as allies in virtually any conflict we go into. It is essential that we understand each other's patient care pathways so we can have interoperability between our two nations and services.”
This is not the first time the two units have worked together. For nearly eight years, Steel Airmen from the 911th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Aeromedical Staging Squadron, and the 758th Airlift Squadron have been working alongside the 612 Squadron to provide mutually beneficial training opportunities. Previous collaborations have paved the way for this extensive training exercise, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in maintaining global security and humanitarian efforts.
“This is my second year coming to Scotland and working with the RAF,” said U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Jenna Klingensmith, an aeromedical evacuation technician assigned to the 911th AES. “It gives us a chance to work with allied services who do similar jobs as us and learn from one another.”
Training alongside the Steel Airmen of the 911th AES allowed RAF aviators the opportunity to observe medical professionals who directly specialize in aeromedical evacuation and familiarization with the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. Additionally Steel Airmen from Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station gained working in an unfamiliar environment.
“Our missions start with a crew brief where everyone is assigned a role,” said Klingensmith. “We normally operate two nurses and three med techs. As the charge med tech, which is an enlisted person’s primary duty, you’re in charge of assigning roles and ensuring everyone is accomplishing them, preparing medical equipment and supplies, configuring the aircraft for patients, and providing en route care from one facility to the next.”
The exercise included a series of simulated medical emergencies, mass casualty events, and aeromedical evacuation drills. Participants practiced using medical equipment and procedures to provide critical care under challenging conditions.
“During our first training scenario, we had a patient go into cardiac arrest,” said Klingensmith. “We had to run an ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) Algorithm on the patient. That involves giving compressions, breaths with a bag-valve mask, and pushing medication like epinephrine to get their heart started. We also had [defibrillator] pads on the patient to monitor electrical activity in their heart so if there was a rhythm that we could shock we could deliver that shock.”
The joint training has a sincere focus and history on improving the unit’s interoperability and readiness. The skills and experiences gained during exercises such as the fourth iteration of Reserve Steel aim to better prepare both Steel Airmen and RAF Aviators for future missions, whether in combat zones or disaster relief operations and operating separately or in unison. While the benefits of such joint training exercises are clear, they do not come without challenges. Differences in protocols, medical equipment, and even terminology can pose significant hurdles.
“The biggest challenge of working alongside an allied service is they don’t necessarily know how we do what we do,” said Klingensmith. “We run a very specific checklist the same time every time. Unless an allied service has trained with us, they aren’t going to be familiar with that. So we had a few of them shadow us.”
However, these challenges are precisely why practice and gaining familiarity between the two units are vital.
During the training, both units engaged in a series of drills designed to bridge these gaps. By working through simulated emergencies and aeromedical scenarios together, they develop a mutual understanding of each other's procedures and equipment. This hands-on experience is essential in ensuring that, when it matters most, both teams can operate as a cohesive unit.
“Just like any exercise, we identified areas where we can improve, however I think on a whole both squadrons have been flexible and adapted where they needed to,” said RAF Air Specialist (Class 1) Matthew Keenan, a paramedic assigned to the 612 Squadron. “I think it's very beneficial to work alongside American forces. It's a learning opportunity and it’s likely that we will work with each other going forward. And just to have that proven working relationship and increased interoperability; it’s really important actually.”
Both Steel Airmen and Aviators from the 612 Squadron are looking forward to the opportunity to learn from each other and build lasting professional relationships.
“The 911th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron are a real bunch of professionals, there is no doubt about that,” said Aslett. “From organizing the exercise to the crew operating those C-17s, they really know their stuff, a really outstanding operation.”
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2024 15:06 |
| Story ID: | 475702 |
| Location: | PITTSBURGH AIRPORT AIR RESERVE STATION, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 183 |
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