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Drive innovative solutions: MDG completes aeromedical evacuation training

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman David Owsianka
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --   This is the eighth in a series of articles relating to an overview of the 51st Fighter Wing priorities at Osan Air Base. The major role Team Osan plays in the Republic of Korea and the extent of its mission will be showcased this week in the way Team Osan's "drives innovative solutions." Next week will conclude this series with a wrap-up article and a video reiterating the importance of the wing's priorities.

When a patient is injured and needs to be transported to another location for a treatment the current base cannot provide, how is that done? A team of Airmen from Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, and Kadena Air Base, Japan, worked together to complete a new form of training to help Airmen prepare for a potential real world scenario March 4, 2014.

The 51st Medical Group teamed up with a crew from the 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, to conduct a new aeromedical evacuation training scenario  in a display of driving innovative solutions (the scenario here is an example of an innovative solution, not necessary a means to "drive innovation solutions). Aeromedical evacuations are the use of military transport aircraft to carry wounded personnel to another location.

"We perform aeromedical evacuations when someone gets injured and the medical facility cannot provide the care they need in country, or we have too many patients and need to transfer them to another facility," said Tech. Sgt. Daniel Thetford, 51st Medical Operations Squadron emergency services NCO in charge.

It was important for the Airmen to receive the training since it's a skill not often exercised.

"Emergency medical technicians are the personnel who typically perform these duties," Thetford said. "During wartime scenarios they are not going to be the ones who take the patients to the plane because they will have to stay in the facility to take care of the patients. We will need to have personnel who work in units such as dental or medical records transport the patients."

During the training, Airmen were taken from the hospital and taught how to move patients from the medical treatment facility to a running aircraft, load personnel onto a litter, and give the medical report to the flight nurses and doctors.

"The training gave me a better idea of what we would do on our side during an aeromedical evacuation," said Staff Sgt. Bethany Stahl, 51st MDOS medical technician. "It was helpful to know what to expect from the air crew, such as how they are going to handle the scenario and what they are going to tell us to do."

During an AE flight, the crew is responsible for providing in-flight patient care and assistance to patients.

The scenario provided an innovative look for the Airmen as this was the first time the AE scenario was conducted on base.

"The training was huge because never before at Osan have we had an AE crew fly here and take fake patients onto their aircraft for an exercise," Thetford said. "It's innovative because if it were to happen in the future, our personnel will be able to perform the necessary tasks more efficiently."