OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- The 51st Civil Engineer Squadron fire department hosted a training event as part of a National Registry Emergency Medical Technician course at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, April 5, 2022.
Airmen and civilian students completed more than 200 hours of academic in-person classroom instruction followed by hands-on scenarios. The first training of its kind ever to be hosted at Osan, the course is designed to enhance first responder's medical knowledge and skills in the event of an emergency.
As the culmination of a five-week long course, the event consisted of an evaluation of the skills students practiced up to that point. This would be their final hands-on test before they could be scheduled for their end of course exam and become nationally certified emergency medical technicians.
“The biggest thing is to make sure these students can think on their own,” said Tech. Sgt. Gerard Thomas, 51st Civil Engineer Squadron fire department station chief and NREMT course lead instructor. “So far they’ve been doing these scenarios as a team. For the final evaluation, it has to be a solo act.”
Students were required to treat a patient with simulated, or “moulaged”, wounds ranging from a gunshot wound to a fractured leg. Using a combination of makeup and prosthetic appliances, instructors and evaluators were able to create realistic depictions of the injuries an EMT might find at the scene of a medical emergency.
“What we need to see is if our students can follow their checklists, make sure the scene is safe and make sure the patient has the correct care for everything they need,” said Thomas.
Ensuring that the course was a success required teamwork across the base. The 51st Medical Group played a key role, providing support in the form of evaluators and equipment.
“The 51st MDG provided us with a lot of support in regards to instructors and evaluators,” said Master Sgt. Roscoe Mayes, 51st CES fire and emergency services assistant chief of training. “Keeping our requirements in mind, it is important that we are able to offer this training for our Airmen and civilians in case of these types of emergencies.”