Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brent Johnson, an instructor pilot assigned to 2nd General Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division pilots a UH-60 Blackhawk during a medical evacuation training scenario over El Paso, Texas, September 4, 2019. | U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Gray, 5th Armored Brigade
Fort Bliss, North Carolina National Guard, University Medical Center train to save lives
Fort Bliss Soldiers and agencies exercised the ability to deliver patients to level one trauma care for the first time in four years, during training on September 4, 2019.
Soldiers assigned to 5th Armored Brigade, First Army Division West coordinated a mass casualty exercise that helped North Carolina National Guard medics prepare for an upcoming deployment. At the same time, the exercise tested communication between ground units, air medical evacuation operations, and the emergency department at University Medical Center to ensure critically injured patients receive the highest level care available.
Right now, 5th AR is training and validating 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard for their upcoming deployment to the middle-east. This mass casualty exercise began as a rehearsal to address one of the most dangerous situations that could arise during any unit’s training; a vehicle roll-over.
Master Sgt. Trey Albertson, medical operations noncommissioned officer in charge assigned to 5th AR said, “The incident was one of the big concerns of both the brigade commander and the Division West commanding general: a late night movement of Soldiers with a vehicle roll-over.”
Observer/ Coach Trainers assigned to 5th AR recreated that exact scenario using both medical training aids and live role-players. The 30th ABCT responded by sending more than 70 medical personnel over the two-day exercise to evaluate, treat and prepare the casualties for evacuation.
“The level of preparedness they had was impressive,” said Albertson. “Even the most deployed active-duty units have hiccups, that’s going to be part of everything we do. But [30th ABCT’s medics] overcame every single obstacle flawlessly and just kept moving.”
Casualties are sent to different treatment facilities depending on their level of injury. A UH-60 Blackhawk assigned to 2nd General Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division transported the most severe cases to level one trauma care at El Paso, Texas’ University Medical Center.
“This allows us to rehearse the full circle of MEDEVAC coverage,” said Staff Sgt. Matt Oneill, a flight medic assigned to 2-4 GSAB. “We get to coordinate patient pick-up with medics on the ground, provide in-flight care, and practice patient transfer to the next level of care.”
Communication plays a key role in making sure everyone is prepared to play their part in providing care to injured people.
“Our main goal here is to improve the communication between us and [Fort Bliss],” said Ashby Payne, emergency department nurse educator at UMC. “Historically we’ve had a real problem communicating with Fort Bliss MEDEVACs when you guys have critical patients.”
Payne said an exercise like this hasn’t happened since 2015 and there are a lot of nurses that have come and gone in that four-year span. She said that new nurses come to UMC to gain experience in a level one trauma center and receiving air MEDEVAC patients.
“The reason why the military is different than our other helicopters is because they do not turn their rotors off,” said Payne. “Helicopter safety seems to be a little bit more intimidating for our civilian employees and frankly it’s more exciting.”
Albertson said at the end of the two-day event, both Army medics and UMC staff felt more confident in their ability to treat and transport patients to the level of care they need.
“In this case, every moving piece between the civilians, aviation, range control and the OC/Ts on the ground just came together in one well-oiled machine,” said Albertson.
Staff Sgt. Matt Oneill, flight medic assigned to 2nd General Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division accompanies University Medical Center staff during the patient transfer portion of a medical evacuation training scenario in El Paso, Texas, September 4, 2019. Oneill said rehearsing procedures to transport injured personnel to a level 1 trauma center is vital to the preservation of life. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Gray, 5th Armored Brigade)
Sgt. Gavin Sandry, UH-60 Blackhawk crew chief assigned to 2nd General Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division received a patient from medics assigned to 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard during a medical evacuation training scenario in the Fort Bliss training area, September 4, 2019. 30th ABCT partnered with 2-4 GASB and 5th Armored Brigade, First Army Division west to train for their upcoming deployment to the middle-east. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Gray, 5th Armored Brigade)
Staff Sgt. Matt Oneill, a flight medic, behind, assigned to 2nd General Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division instructs medics assigned to 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard how to safely exit the danger area under a UH-60 Blackhawk’s rotors after delivering a patient. This type of cold-load training is performed with a powered down helicopter as part of 30th ABCT’s preparation for an upcoming deployment to the middle-east. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Gray, 5th Armored Brigade)
Staff Sgt. Matt Oneill, right, and Sgt. First Class Jesse Turner, flight medics assigned to 2nd General Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division discuss safety procedures with emergency department staff for receiving patients from an operating UH-60 Blackhawk at University Medical Center, El Paso, Texas, September 4, 2019. Patient transfers to UMC, the city’s level 1 trauma center, happen to ensure critically injured patients receive the highest level of medical care. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Gray, 5th Armored Brigade)
Sgt. First Class Jesse Turner, left, and Staff Sgt. Matt Oneill, flight medics assigned to 2nd General Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division guide nurses from the emergency department to unload casualties from a UH-60 Blackhawk during a medical evacuation training scenario at University Medical Center, El Paso, Texas, September 4, 2019. This is the first time since 2015 that the level 1 trauma center has been able to practice receiving casualties from under spinning helicopter rotors with U.S. Army medical aviation. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Gray, 5th Armored Brigade)
Master Sgt. Trey Albertson, medical operations noncommissioned officer in charge assigned to 5th Armored Brigade, First Army Division West applies moulage to live-role player’s simulated injury as part of a medical evacuation training event in the Fort Bliss training area, September 4, 2019. This level of injury simulation provides realistic medical evaluation and treatment training for medics assigned to 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard in preparation for an upcoming deployment to the middle-east. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Gray, 5th Armored Brigade
Staff Sgt. Matt Oneill, flight medic assigned to 2nd General Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division accompanies University Medical Center staff during the patient transfer portion of a medical evacuation training scenario in El Paso, Texas, September 4, 2019. Oneill said rehearsing procedures to transport injured personnel to a level 1 trauma center is vital to the preservation of life. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Gray, 5th Armored Brigade)
Master Sgt. Trey Albertson, medical operations noncommissioned officer in charge assigned to 5th Armored Brigade, First Army Division West, left, gives guidance to Pfc. Dayton Huddle, senior medic on ground assigned to 30th Armored Brigade Combat team, North Carolina National Guard, during a medical evacuation training scenario in the Fort Bliss training area, September 4, 2019. Albertson said Huddle performed his duties to a level of competence not expected from a Soldier with his level of experience. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Gray, 5th Armored Brigade