Medical exercise an opportunity for admin to shine

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jessica E. Andrews
  • 302nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron
No one can ever accuse the 302nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron of being in a rut. Just listen in on any meeting or gathering at the unit. There are always new ideas brewing to make things better.

Squadron officers and senior enlisted members met March 5 to discuss ways to make their upcoming Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility exercise the best and most productive than in years past. Typically, the training has been done outside and on a C-130 for patient loads. CASF training is when the medical squadron takes a fixed location to meet all of its medical treatment needs to simulate a wartime situation.

During this year’s exercise, which takes place May 7, ASTS wants to focus on operational components like security, sweep team procedures, facility management, administrative and logistics work. Radio communication will also be made a top priority this year, because it plays a major factor in wartime communication.

According to Capt. Brook Elkins, 302nd ASTS health services administrator, a mass casualty situation is not just about the medical component. He says, in reality, the logistics person will be busier than the medics. While there may be 10s of dozens of medics in the field, there are only a handful of logistics people running around, trying to ensure everyone gets the equipment they need. He says unit members need to become experts on the operational side.

“Everyone gets to practice litter carries and other medical aspects every time there is a drill like this,” he said. “But resources need to be known, what’s coming in and what’s going out. If the medics are the muscle, then admin is the nervous system keeping everything running.”

Colonel Karen Baldi, 302nd ASTS chief of aerospace medicine, echoes this sentiment.

“This is a great opportunity for admin to shine,” she said. She’s been deployed and knows how important the role of medical admin is to the mission. “Medical admin is important because we live in an information rich world. If the information is wrong, the database incomplete, or the medical record missing, the system breaks down. The people who keep the information flowing provide the grease to the wheels of this system. Whether it’s in wartime, or peacetime, home station or deployed, we could not work efficiently without them.”

“I want our administrative section, the 4A’s, to be put to the test, give us the hardest work,” said Capt. Samuel Downs, 302nd ASTS health services administrator. “Our NCOs will be up to the challenge and this will be a great opportunity for cross training. We have several new NCOs and Airmen and each opportunity we have to share our experiences and test our skills is a welcomed event.”

Another change being discussed is adding a class just to learn about the Airman’s Manual during the exercise.

“I’m a huge fan of the Airman’s Manual,” Captain Elkins expressed to the group. “In an exercise, if you don’t have an Airman’s Manual, you fail as a leader. That book will tell you what to do in any situation.”

Reservists might be disappointed that this year’s exercise will not be outside or on a C-130, but in contrast to previous years, this will be more practical experience that will put the whole situation into context. Exercise planners are looking into bringing security forces and civil engineering on board to make the exercise as realistic as possible. Medical admin will also play a key role in actually practicing their own jobs, unlike before.

“The CASF exercise this year will highlight the contribution the admin staff makes to our wartime mission,” said Colonel Baldi. “They staff the MCC (Medical Control Center) which is the brain of the operation. They communicate with the rest of the base operations, manage patient movement, and their baggage, secure computer systems, account for personnel after each alarm red, compile readiness reports, performance reports and push through the paperwork for supplies, and manning. This is all of the behind the scenes work that allows the medical staff to focus on patient care.”