Soldiers receive Dragon First Responder training at Fort Bragg

By Stephenie Tatum, 1st TSC Public AffairsJanuary 23, 2014

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1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pfc. Zachary Flowers, a visual information equipment operator-maintainer, G-6 office, 1st Theater Sustainment Command, carries a "casualty" to safety while Sgt. Karlos Contreras, a Medical Simulation Training Center instructor, evaluates him during t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from 1st Theater Sustainment Command and Fort Bragg, N.C., climb over a wall during the Dragon First Responder course Jan. 10 at Fort Bragg's Medical Simulation Training Center. The course is based on the Ranger First Responder course create... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pfc. Marcus Wheeler, a human resources specialist, 14th Human Resources Sustainment Center, 1st Theater Sustainment Command, requests medical evacuation during the Dragon First Responder course Jan. 10 at the Medical Simulation Training Center's Trai... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Donald Stophel, right, 1st Theater Sustainment Command, prepares to transport a "casualty" in a sled-like litter while the rest of his group ensures the patient is properly secured during the Dragon First Responder course Jan. 10 at the Medical ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – 1st Theater Sustainment Command Soldiers Dustin L. Smith, a cable systems installer, and Spc. Crystal Jones, a supply specialist, treat their "casualty" and control the bleeding during the Dragon First Responder course Jan. 10 at the Medical Simulati... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- Whether it is an improvised explosive device attack in a combat zone or a car accident on I-95, Fort Bragg's Dragon First Responder course ensures Soldiers are trained and ready.

Seventeen Soldiers from units across the region, including the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, fought through wind, rain, "enemy" fire, exhaustion and high stress during the final testing phase and became certified Dragon First Responders Jan. 10 at the Medical Simulation Training Center located on MacRidge Road.

Master Sgt. Litt Moore, noncommissioned officer in charge of the Fort Bragg MSTC and an Army combat medic/healthcare specialist with more than 23 years of service said the monthly course is five days long and based on the Ranger First Responder course created by the U.S. Special Operations Command's 75th Ranger Regiment.

According to the 75th Ranger Regiment website, "course emphasis is on the treatment of three preventable combat deaths; massive extremity hemorrhage, tension pneumothorax, and airway obstruction. The idea is that a Ranger doesn't need to be able to perform surgery, but rather he should be a master of the basic treatment for these three medically preventable causes of death within the guidelines of TCCC."

During the DFR, Soldiers are taught combat lifesaver and tactical combat casualty care. The goal is to prepare non-medic Soldiers to provide self-aid or buddy-aid in the absence of a medical provider, both on and off the battlefield.

Although the skills are based on combat scenarios, Moore said he often hears stories where Soldiers in garrison are credited with saving lives as first responders. He recalled one instance where a MSTC-trained Soldier responded to a car accident on Fort Bragg's Longstreet Road and saved a victim's life using his training and a tourniquet.

Critical, hands-on lifesaving skills taught during the DFR course include how to control bleeding, manage an airway, conduct a patient assessment, treat for shock, move a patient when necessary, establish a Casualty Collection Point and request medical evacuation.

"The one thing they constantly plug in your brain is tourniquets. As soon as you reach your patient you are immediately looking to stop the bleeding, if you need to," said Dustin L. Smith, 24, a native of Seattle, Wash., and cable systems installer, 1st TSC G-6 office.

After four days of classroom instruction on everything from applying tourniquets to moving the casualty to safety, the final day of training takes the Soldiers outside and into the woods of Fort Bragg's MSTC located within Training Area "H", where their skills are put to the test. Here they encounter three mass casualty producing combat scenarios -- a vehicle IED, a military operations on urban terrain (MOUT) site and a downed helicopter crew.

For this group of Soldiers, the testing started with climbing over a wall, crawling under razor wire and maneuvering through a trench. As they pressed on, they encountered opposing forces that ambushed them using M-4 paintball weapons and detonated IED simulators in the area. Tired and ready to slow down, they arrived at the site and found a room full of Soldiers from their "sister unit" wounded with injuries such as amputated limbs, chest wounds and in shock. For most, adrenaline and "muscle memory" kicked in and they performed as they were trained.

"By putting you in a real life situation with the instructors yelling and having explosive simulators, oh and the weather, the training was more realistic. I definitely feel more confident to respond to an accident since having the training," said Pfc. Patrick K. Hildreth, 19, a native of Dixons Mills, Ala. and cable systems installer in the 1st TSC G-6 office.

Following each scenario, the instructors gathered the group for a review and provided them with feedback for how to better concentrate their efforts in a real situation.

"When the helicopter is there and ready, you must be too. This is not the time to be fumbling around," Sgt. Karlos Contreras, a Sunrise, Fla. native and MSTC instructor with nine years of service in the Army.

Smith, who had attended combat lifesaver training in the past, recommends the course to his fellow Soldiers, even as a refresher.

At the end of the day, the instructors and Soldiers agreed that even though the training was tough and Mother Nature was not always on their side, the importance of being ready to respond to an emergency is what it is all about.

"I hope these Soldiers leave here and never have to use this training. But if they do, I hope they execute those skills with confidence and bring our fellow service members home ...," said Moore.