Joint Endeavour

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kristin Kurtz
  • 459 Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. --  Members of the 459th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron participated in an medical exercise here.
The exercise, named "Joint Endeavor," allowed the units to mimic emergency medical situations in the event of a disaster.

It marked the first time in a year that the units participated in such an exercise, said Senior Airman Jason Estrela, a medical technician for the 459th ASTS.

The exercise began with members from ASTS working in unison to remove the simulated patients from the bus to the designated area outside to be checked for any type of weapon or foreign object that could pose a threat to the Airmen or other patients. The medical units call this anti-hijacking.

After the patients were cleared they were transferred indoors to the staging areas, where they were housed and monitored for any deteriorating conditions, while preparations were made to transport them to the flight line for an aerial evacuation.

The patients who could walk were escorted to the bus, while the patients who were deemed in critical condition were carried on litters.

The ASTS Airmen worked as a cohesive unit in transporting the injured to the bus while performing a series of lifts and maneuvers to ensure the patients' safety.

Moving the patients from the bus to the plane for the aerial evacuation was not only a transfer for the patients, but also a transfer in responsibility from members of ASTS to AES.

"I think we did well. Both units worked together very well and there was a lot of comradery which allowed us to work as one cohesive unit," said Capt. Tamara Rush, a head clinical nurse for the 459th ASTS.

As the patients were loaded onto the plane, members of AES worked diligently to secure each patient into their appropriate seat or area. Everything and every person on the plane must be secured to insure the safety of everyone on the plane.

Once the patients were secured, the plane was cleared for takeoff and the patients were on their way to their next location of care; allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief after successfully completing the exercise.

Performing these types of jobs are crucial to our training said Estrela. "The more frequently we do these exercises the better we become at our jobs, and that allows us to be more effective when we are called upon. We will be more likely to save lives thanks to our training."