Reserve exercise stresses mission readiness

Published Aug. 10, 2006
By Maj. Richard Payne
604th Medical Squadron

FAIRCHILD AFB, Wash. -- -- Forty-one health care specialists from the 604th Medical Squadron, an Air Force Reserve unit at Fairchild, "deployed" to Camp Airey on base Aug. 3-6 for a four-day medical readiness exercise.

Airmen from the 604th MDS regularly deploy on a volunteer basis to Southwest Asia, but the unit has not deployed in significant numbers since 2003. The recent exercise allowed the unit to orient new members, and seasoned veterans, to the realities of a deployment.

Exercises like the deployment to Camp Airey prepare medical units to face the challenges of an austere environment.

The Camp Airey exercise began with issuing of gear, loading into buses and deploying to the physical location where the medical team setup six temper tents. The tents would be the hospital by day and sleeping quarters at night.

When the daytime temperatures hit 95-100 degrees, members of the 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron responded in typical "people first" Air Force style by bringing out air conditioning units.

Members of the 92nd Medical Group and the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron joined the Reservists on the second and third day of operations to complete their annual training requirements.

During the first of two major operations, the mass casualty exercise, patients in realistic injury makeup were processed through the contingency medical unit. The medical team practiced coping with an overwhelming number of patients and determining priorities of care.

The exercise was paused when Col. (Dr.) Mark Bassett took care of the Airmen by buying fast-food burgers for the entire deployment.

After sunset, low-light/blackout operations began. The litter obstacle course was run in the dark and in mission oriented protective posture level two gear.

The third day dealt with depleted uranium, combat stress, battle environment, and the medical effects of nuclear, biological and chemical warfare. The second major operation, a chemical agent response exercise, was conducted in the heat of the day with the team wearing the ground crew ensemble and going through the different phases of attack and recovery. After the exercise, the medical team went through a decontamination line.