No accident: emergency responders rehearse rescue ops at MK

By Sgt. Maj. Michael Pintagro, 21st TSC Public AffairsFebruary 26, 2014

Training Exercise
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania �" Spc. Jonathan Perodeau (left) of Rocky Hill, Conn.; Spc. Josiah Burnham of Hampton, Conn.; and Spc. Justin Harelik of Branford, Conn., all firemen with the 256th Engineer Detachment (Firefighters),... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Casualty Head Injury Treatment
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania �" Pfc. Brittney Steffey, a treatment medic with the 421st Multifunctional Medical Battalion and native of Hickory, N.C. treats a casualty�'s head injury during a training exercise conduct... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Vehicular Collision Exercise
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania �" Pfc. Tyheem Alphonso, an MP with the 202nd Military Police Company, N.Y. and native of Brooklyn, N.Y., reacts to a vehicular �"collision" during a training exercise conducted Feb. 22 ju... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Casualty Assistance Exercise
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania �" Sgt. Norman Pierce, a military policeman with the 202nd MP Company and native of Zaneville, Ohio, and Spc. Jessika Rodriguez, a military policewoman with the 202nd and native of Kent City, Mich., a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Emergency Response Procedures
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania �" Romanian Master Sgt. Ion Popa of the MK military police detachment and Sgt. Daniel Blackhorse, a military policeman with the 202nd MP Company and native of Iron Station, N.C., discuss emergency res... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania -- A Romanian taxi and a contracted bus carrying transiting U.S. Soldiers collide along a major approach to MK Air Base. Romanian gate guards witness the accident. They immediately contact the U.S. military police desk. The MPs react with equal speed and skill, promptly mobilizing emergency responders, ranging from their own on-duty personnel to medics, firemen, key installation leaders and even the public affairs officer.

Emergency personnel arrive to find disabled vehicles, animated, irate drivers and witnesses, and a shuttle full of injured personnel requiring a broad range of treatment for a variety of injuries. MPs and firemen extract casualties from the immobilized vehicle, rendering first aid and transporting injured Soldiers on stretchers when necessary. Medics fly to the scene, initiating examinations and triage almost as soon as they leave their vehicles. They treat fractures, lacerations, shock and head injuries -- appropriately since the "wounds" existed only in the minds of participants. This was no accident: emergency response officials at MK staged the notional wreck exclusively for training purposes.

According to Capt. Christopher Philpot of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command's18th Military Policy Brigade, who serves as director of emergency services at MK, organizers aimed to achieve three main objectives during the training. They sought to validate a base emergency management plan clarifying lines of communication and reaction procedures, "certify" military policemen rotating into Romania to support the mission, and build partnerships and relationships with Air Force and Romanian teammates.

"Not only will it allow us to identify weaknesses and validate our emergency management plan," the Middletown, N.J. native said just prior to the exercise, "but it will also prepare us for future real world incidents if something like this were actually to happen and we had to react with our Romanian counterparts."

"We've had very positive interactions so far," Philpot added. "Everybody's been real cooperative and we're getting along very well. This will be our first real exercise together but I think it's going to go very well."

Event planners departed a bit from conventional mass casualty training wisdom, which generally emphasizes the most cataclysmic of scenarios. According to 1st Lt. Justin Good of the 527th MP Company, part of the 709th MP Battalion, 18th MP Brigade, 21st TSC, the virtue of the exercise conducted Feb. 22 lay precisely in its commonality.

"The goal was to build something that's realistic," the Kingston, N.Y. native said. "Everyone wants to test the 'Armageddon' scenarios, which is important. But what's our response to a more realistic mass casualty event Scenarios like this actually have a good chance of happening -- and it's important to deal with them effectively."

Training Soldiers concurred with their leaders' assessments.

"This training was very realistic," said Pfc. Tyheem Alphonso, an MP with the 202nd Military Police Company, which recently rotated into MK from Fort Bliss, Texas. "As MPs, we go through a lot of different trials and different scenarios, so we have to keep doing exercises to brush up on our skills and make sure when we actually do encounter a real activity, we're ready to respond -- and fast."

"The best part for me was just getting to interact," the Brooklyn, N.Y. native added. "I was all over the place, so I felt like I was actually involved in something -- I felt like I was really important. The best part for me was I had to improvise a lot as things went on to make sure I didn't miss anything."

Key installation and emergency operations leaders, including the senior base and medical officials, observed the exercise. They emerged encouraged by their team's responsiveness and technical skill as well as the high level of joint, combined integration.

"The police and fire teams rolled up very quickly and did a great job," said Col. Claude Lovell, the Black Sea Area Support Team and base commander. "I like the fact that we incorporated the Romanians into the scenario. I think the fire department and the medics did a great job evaluating the casualties, putting them on a litter and getting them out. They did a great job as a team."

The view from the ambulance, fire truck and police car looked much the same.

"I believe this exercise today was pretty good," Alphonso said. "The fire department and everyone else came together and responded in a timely manner, and we got everything we needed to assess. So doing the training also provides us the time and ability to assess what we need to have in case something like this was really happening. So it was good training all-around."

Related Links:

21st Theater Sustainment Command