920th Aeromedical Staging Squadron Holds Large-Scale Medical Exercise MEDBEACH

BREVARD COUNTY • PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA – When disaster strikes, mass casualties are a chaotic scene; where stabilizing wounds, categorizing patients based on critical injuries and ensuring transport to the next level of care become increasingly vital as every second ticks.

A scene which Reserve Citizen Airmen of the 920th Rescue Wing train for regularly.

As an integral component of the wing’s mission to support combat search and-rescue around the globe, the Airmen of the 920th Aeromedical Staging Squadron put on and host a large-scale medical exercise, MEDBEACH from April 29 – May 5.

While their drill weekends once a month are spent arranging the health and medical readiness of each and every 920th RQW Airman, with the ongoing threats against Airmen at home and abroad, the advancing of medical technology and research, and the reservist’s busy schedule, certifying Airmen are medically cleared and fit to fight doesn’t permit much time for their own much-needed training –the type needed to keep calm during chaos.

According to Lt. Col. John Davis, Med Beach coordinator from the 920th ASTS, Med Beach was designed to offer realistic training meant to simulate the type of scenarios Airmen could encounter during deployments around the world.

More than 200 Airmen and Soldiers from 15 units across the United States supported the joint medical response exercise at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., to accomplish annual medical requirements in record’s pace.

“Med Beach is a way to bring our mission to life,” Davis said. “Our mission is to stage patients for flight and manage their movement. This exercise is the closest we can come to real world.”

When disaster strikes, mass casualties are a chaotic scene; where stabilizing wounds, categorizing patients based on critical injuries and ensuring transport to the next level of care become increasingly vital as every second ticks. A scene which Reserve Citizen Airmen of the 920th Rescue Wing train for regularly.

As an integral component of the wing’s mission to support combat search and-rescue around the globe, the Airmen of the 920th Aeromedical Staging Squadron put on and host a large-scale medical exercise, MEDBEACH from April 29 – May 5.

While their drill weekends once a month are spent arranging the health and medical readiness of each and every 920th RQW Airman, with the ongoing threats against Airmen at home and abroad, the advancing of medical technology and research, and the reservist’s busy schedule, certifying Airmen are medically cleared and fit to fight doesn’t permit much time for their own much-needed training –the type needed to keep calm during chaos.

According to Lt. Col. John Davis, Med Beach coordinator from the 920th ASTS, Med Beach was designed to offer realistic training meant to simulate the type of scenarios Airmen could encounter during deployments around the world.

More than 200 Airmen and Soldiers from 15 units across the United States supported the joint medical response exercise at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., to accomplish annual medical requirements in record’s pace.

“Med Beach is a way to bring our mission to life,” Davis said. “Our mission is to stage patients for flight and manage their movement. This exercise is the closest we can come to real world.”

The first week of the exercise involved hands-on training ranging from treating wounds such as major bleeding from gunshots or stabbings, to proper lifting techniques while getting a patient in and out of an ambulatory vehicle.

The last two-days was a test of all skills and experiences plus the transport of role players in a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and an Army HH-60M MEDEVAC Black Hawk helicopter.

“As reservist we don’t get a lot of opportunities like this,” said Staff Sgt. Emmanuel Omoniyi, a 920th ASTS medical technician. Omoniyi works as a patient case manager for a drug and alcohol facility and as a reservist he is one of the non-commissioned officers at the immunization lab. Although he enjoys his usual tasks of taking care of Airmen in the clinic, he had a greater sense of the mission as he raced the clock to get patients transported on time during the training.

“It was a great exercise which expanded my knowledge and gave me a better view of what responsibilities are expected of me when I leave the training environment,” Omoniyi added. “It was fast paced.”

According to Maj. Stephen Grant, from the 920th ASTS, the training would have cost the Air Force Reserve nearly 2 million dollars if it were conducted individually by a civilian medical education system.

“That number is derived from the number of participants and the associated cost of continuing education credit hours they are receiving for their medical, nursing or EMT license,” Grant said. “The amount of money saved is substantial.”

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