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“I love my job; taking care of the people out there fighting for
us. Being able to take care of people that may be on the brink of
death, and then see them get up and walk out is the best part,” said
Staff Sgt. Cody Rothlisberger, Mobile Surgical Field Team
respiratory technician.
In the last decade the military has
continuously supplied men and women to the frontlines throughout the
AOR. When a situation doesn't go as planned and casualties are
sustained, their lives depend on self-aid buddy care and, more
importantly, the airmen of the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group's
Mobile Field Surgical Team and Expeditionary Critical Care Team.
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Airmen from the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group Mobile Field Surgical Team and Expeditionary Critical Care Team unpack their supplies as they conduct a timed mobile hospital setup and equipment familiarization training Aug. 28, 2015 at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. (U.S. Air Force photo
by Staff Sgt. Alexandre Montes)
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The MFST is comprised of a general surgeon, orthopedic
surgeon, anesthesiologist, operating room technician, or
nurses and respiratory technicians with nine members in
total. Complementing the mission is an intensive care unit
doctor, an ICU nurse, and a respiratory technician, known as
an ECCT.
“These airmen are constantly postured to
forward deploy within three hours of notification,” said Lt.
Col. Steven Chen, 379th Expeditionary Medical Group MSFT
general surgeon.
Chen said that when they arrive to their or destination
they are able to set up facilities, unpack supplies and
begin providing medical care to those wounded or injured
within an hour.
This mobile hospital setup in an
austere environment is not sleight of hand. Each team is
sent to intense, fast-paced, warrior mind-set training prior
to and during each deployment. Focusing on their medical
backgrounds, these airmen train to keep each other safe
while applying medical care in a hostile environment if the
situation arises.
“All of us at home station are
doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists and surgeons, but do get
training before coming out here,” said Chen. ”The training
is Expeditionary Medical Support; they teach us how to set
up in an austere environment and take care of patients,
critically ill patients and also to do surgery.“
The
airmen are also sent to Combat Airman Skills Training, a
pre-deployment environment where airmen are prepared for the
possibility of combat or security situations and how to
survive. This type of training is not the ‘norm' from their
day-to-day operations at home stations. Even with all the
prior training, MSFT is a capability that is rarely used,
but extremely important to current deployed operations.
“With the ops tempo these days, there is not as much
fighting going on, so we are like a safety net and only go
out when there is a real need,” said Chen. “But what does
happen more frequently is we do exercises.”
In
addition to in-house weekly training, MSFT and ECCT also
travel to conduct joint training with Navy SEALS, conducting
real-life scenarios aboard ships and in several other
locations. They also support larger exercises like Eager
Lion, an international force exercise for conventional and
unconventional threats.
The training that the airmen
conduct on a weekly basis keeps them sharp and prepared.
Scenarios are constructed and timed making sure each team
member knows and understands their specific roles when the
time comes.
By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Alexandre Montes
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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