341st MDG conducts response training

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Dillon White
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Every Airman and civilian employee from the 341st Medical Group participated in a week-long training exercise July 13 to 17 to assess mass-casualty incident response capabilities. 

The exercise simulated a van breaking through a base gate and spraying Anthrax. The 341st Security Forces Squadron then responded and chased the vehicle.
The van raced to the base commissary, skidded to a stop and exploded. More than 50 people were injured by flying debris and covered in Anthrax. To simulate this, more than 60 Airman acted as role players complete with moulage to simulate injuries. 

Field Response Team 

The first medics to reach the victims of the blast were the field response team. They're primary goal was to provide preliminary care in the field to increase the chances of saving victim's lives, limbs and eyesight. 

"We focus on airway, circulation and shock," said Col. Marcel Dionne, 341st Medical Operations Squadron aerospace medicine chief. "If a person has a broken leg and an artery is pinched, they could potentially lose the leg. If we reposition the leg by splinting it in the field, we can save the leg." 

The FRT members performed a lot of patient care during the exercise, said Senior Airman Kenvin Keophakdy, 341st MDOS medical technician. 

"They threw a lot of different types of injuries at us and we did our best to manage those patients in the field," Airman Keophakdy said. "We had a lot of lacerations, burns and blast-type injuries. Those can be a pretty big handful when you only have a limited number of people and supplies to take care of them." 

Airman Keophakdy's primary role was to provide care for the patients as doctors assessed their wounds in triage. 

"[The doctors] rely heavily on the technicians and nurses to do a lot of the patient care," he said. "For them to have that kind of confidence in you and your training means a lot. They can just shout out a bunch of injuries and you automatically know what to do to save the patient." 

In Place Patient Decontamination 

Once patients on-scene were triaged and received preliminary care from the FRT, they were transported or sent to the IPPD for decontamination. The IPPD was sectioned into two areas. The HOT side of the wash area was where contaminated patients removed clothing and doctors in individual protective equipment triaged them to assess the seriousness of their wounds. The COOL side of the IPPD was where patients receive clean slippers and a robe following decontamination. 

If the patient's wounds were serious, they were decontaminated first, then transported to a nearby medical facility for care. Patients with less serious injuries were sent into the clinic for further care. 

"Before conducting an IPPD, we conduct a safety briefing to ensure everyone knows the effects of the contaminant and emphasize to the team to stay focused," said Maj. Fernando Santana, 341st Medical Support Squadron chief of pharmacy services. "We also post security and create an entry control point so we can ensure we keep track of people coming in." 

Once patients were inside the HOT zone, they placed their personal belongings in a sealable bag. In a real-world incident, these bags can be surrendered to the FBI for investigation, Major Santana said. 

"The person responsible for the attack may seek care at the IPPD," he said. "Certain things can be tested, such as concentration of contamination to determine a person's proximity to an incident, as well as other clues." 

During the exercise, the weather was hot, affecting how long exercise participants could stay in their protective equipment, said Staff Sgt. Jonathan Shields, 341st MDSS medical laboratory technician. 

"We suited up at about 9 a.m. and started cleaning up around 1:30 p.m.," Sergeant Shields said. "We were outside in personal protective equipment for about three to four hours. You find out how even little things make a difference, like staying well hydrated." 

Point of Dispensing 

Members of the 341st MDG pharmacy had an exercise of their own July 15. A mass prophylaxis dispensing line was conducted at the base theatre to dispense medication to more than 60 patients. 

This was the first exercise of its kind at Malmstrom and was based off a plan assembled in September 2008. 

"This is a wing-owned plan that we came up with during a table-top exercise in April, 2008," Major Santana said. "I attended a Global Readiness Symposium to help prepare the plan and this exercise is the first." 

Mass prophylaxis would be required in the event of an outbreak of influenza, or other illness, requiring the entire base to be treated with medications, he said. 

Jessica Meadows, 341st MDOS pharmacist, said she learned a lot from the POD exercise. 

"I really enjoyed seeing the POD in action," she said. I think we all came together as a medical group. I was nervous at first about participating in the whole scenario but quickly found my feet and enjoyed every minute of it." 

Air Force Space Command exercise observers told the POD team they had the most advanced POD set up they had ever seen, she said. 

"We were all on our 'A' game," Ms. Meadows said. "Because of our advanced planning, the MERCAT observers decided to give us harder scenarios since they knew we could handle them."