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    Flying a lifeline with the silent heroes of Aeromedical Evacuation

    455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Squadron

    Photo By Master Sgt. Jeromy Cross | U.S. Air Force Maj. Richard Foote (left) and Tech. Sgt. Chris Hines, 455th...... read more read more

    CAMP BASTION, AFGHANISTAN

    04.10.2010

    Story by Tech. Sgt. Richard Williams 

    455th Air Expeditionary Wing   

    BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan— Effective medical care in a combat zone can be a challenge. Remote locations and unsafe driving conditions can become almost overwhelming difficulties when trying to get patients from a field hospital at one of the forward operating locations in Afghanistan to the medical care they need.

    The 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight takes the challenges of Afghanistan and ensures those who need the care get where they need to go.

    "Aeromedical evacuation is the movement of patients injured and sick, combat and noncombat related from the area of responsibility to a higher echelon of care," said Maj. Richard Foote, 455th EAEF, flight nurse. "Whether it is from Camp Bastion to Kandahar Airfield or from Bagram to Landstuhl Regional Medical Facility, Germany we try to get our most serious patients from here to home in 72 hours."

    Maj. John Jordan, 455th EAEF, medical crew director added, "When we say patients, they are not just U.S. servicemembers; we provide care for coalition military and local and foreign nationals as well."

    Foote, deployed from the 908th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., said, it doesn't matter if friend of foe are loaded onto their aircraft, when the AE team receives them, they become patients and top level care is provided to all.

    Jordan, also deployed from the 908th EAS, took time to explain the evacuation process, which has many moving parts on the ground to ensure maximum efficiency when aircrews take off.

    A flight surgeon validates a patient in an automated system, which means the patient needs to move from point A to point B. Once the patient is approved for travel, the AE operations team receives notification of the movement.

    Jordan, Auburn, Ala., native added, "The AEOT builds a package with all of the information on our mission. This package assists us in creating the mission plan of equipment and teams needed for a successful flight." Which he added can change at a moment's notice.

    Once the medical crew director gets the call from the AEOT, he contacts the on-call crew who has one hour to report for pre flight preparations, which could include a standard AE crew, a critical care team or even a plus up in crew based upon patient numbers, said Tech. Sgt. Kim Price, 455th EAEF, flight medical technician.

    "We show up, preflight our equipment, get our intelligence and crew briefings, load our truck, and head to the aircraft to prepare it for the mission," she added.

    With equipment loaded and mission objectives set, the AE crew departs the airfleld on a C-130 aircraft heading to forward operating locations to bring patients from a lower level of care to a higher level of care, explained Major Foote.


    The standard AE crew is a five person team however, this can change from mission to mission depending upon the number of patients to be received and their needs, explained Jordan. He also said the mission can change and often does in flight and the medical crew director and the flight nurse must constantly evaluate the situation and sometimes adjust patient loads and crew requirements based on the medical needs of the patients.

    After the crews land and begin the patient transfer process, the medical technicians ensure the proper equipment is coordinated for patients and everything is working properly, explained Price. "Typically there are three technicians on the aircraft to assist the flight nurse and the MCD with patient care."

    There are challenges with completing the AE in the joint service/coalition medical environment explained Jordan. "When we are dealing with coalition forces some of the medical equipment and procedures are not standardized and that can cause some difficulties at times but we haven't had any issues so far."

    "Sometimes there can also be a language barrier to overcome," added Price. She pointed out although this can sometimes make care difficult, the bottom line is the AE crews are equal opportunity care givers so everyone gets the same top class care.

    The importance of their mission cannot be stressed enough, added Jordan, who pointed out the team he worked with were all members of the Air Force Reserves and only Major Foote was an actual AE nurse in his civilian job.

    "We all deployed because we want to help people," added Price, who works at a mental health clinic when she is not performing AE for the Air Force. "We chose our job because we love what we do. I just reenlisted here because I want to continue what I am doing."

    "Most people think we are the typical one weekend a month and two week a year Airman," added Jordan, who is an Air Reserve technician when not deployed. "As an AE team we are required to fly three to four times a month and on the average, with training requirements we spend about 14 days a year not performing this mission in some form."

    Foote summed the Aeromedical mission up when he said, "We take people home who have been injured serving their country and get them home to their family."

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.10.2010
    Date Posted: 04.10.2010 19:28
    Story ID: 47965
    Location: CAMP BASTION, AF

    Web Views: 527
    Downloads: 365

    PUBLIC DOMAIN