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5th Medical Group evaluates response procedures

By Airman 1st Class Jose L. Hernandez , Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs / Published September 28, 2011

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MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The 5th Medical Group conducted an exercise designed to test the readiness and effectiveness of medical contingency response plan procedures here Sept. 22.

The simulated mass casualty scenario involved a terrorist attack with the use of a chemical agent at a designated location. Personnel from the various factions of the 5th MDG responded setting up patient treatment areas throughout the entire medical building, each holding different responsibilities.

William Large, 5th Medical Support Squadron readiness manager, said the exercise is designed to enhance the medical group's emergency response preparedness.

"It's called an all-hazards approach," said Large. "By exercising, we know we can respond to any type of emergency response, anything ranging from a bus accident to a terrorist use of a chemical attack."

Large explained all active-duty members within the facility are assigned to a team which holds a unique task. Depending on the severity of injuries, patients are taken to select locations to be seen by treatment specialists.

Tech. Sgt. Jesus Olivares, 5th MDSS NCO in charge of readiness, said managing nearly 200 active duty members for hours can be a little difficult. Nonetheless he explained they had procedures in place to minimize potential chaos and a breakdown of coordination amongst the various teams.

"Every location has a team chief -- so while there is some chaos it is still controlled," said Olivares. He added communication during events like these is key for success.

Following the exercise, medical personnel met and discussed the positives and negatives and tracked lessons learned in order to improve upon the next exercise. They formulate post-incident exercise summaries which document the strengths and weaknesses of the overall event.

"While we exercise to identify weaknesses, we also exercise to improve," said Large. "Whenever you exercise you can expect to find issues and we want to identify those issues and fix them."

Communication was an area that needed some refining said Large, but overall the emergency response capabilities and means for providing treatment to patients was top-notch.

"You can rest assured that our physicians, nurses, and medical technicians can give top rated care quickly and efficiently," said Large. "The best thing about this exercise is we can prove that we can respond and treat when needed and do it very well."



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