Mass casualty exercise showcases medical Airmen’s readiness

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Daniel Phelps
  • 349th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 349th Medical Group recently honed the combat skills of medical Airmen through a training course to bring them up-to-date with their readiness requirements.

The first course was held last year, and Airmen were ecstatic to have this course back, said Capt. Christina Hewett, 349th Aeromedical Staging Squadron nurse.

The course brought 34 participants, with 10 of them coming from the 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Air National Guard Base, California.

“There are 48 continuing education units that medics need every two years,” said Senior Airman Holly Kiesz, 349th Aeromedical Staging Squadron medical technician. “This course knocked out 34 of them.”

Unusually, people have to take these classes on their own time, and some of them can cost more than $200 out of pocket, Hewett said.

“This course is more than just accomplishing the CEUs,” she said. “It’s getting us ready to step off the plane to be deployed. It’s about getting training for those situations you don’t see every day.”

The skills they received from this training are paramount to a successful mission, she added.

At the end of the week, the course culminated in a mass casualty scenario where the students had to respond and appropriately treat the wounded.

After the course, the instructors went over the feedback to improve the course for its next session, Hewett said.

“I have yet in my career to have anything that equals this in knowledge-based capacity,” said Senior Airman Athena Lebaron-More, 129th MDG medical technician.

The next course is scheduled for August.