GOLDSBORO, N.C. -- Soldiers assigned to the 230th Brigade Support Battalion conduct domestic operations training exercises with the eastern branch of North Carolina Emergency Management in Wayne County on Aug. 6, 2016.
National Guard units deploy as force packages to become a multi-mission force with skillsets and resources critical to responding to natural disasters and hostile incidents. The Point of Distribution and the off-road Ambulance Exchange Point are the two force packages that allow 230th BSB soldiers and local Emergency Management to simulate, train and prepare to respond to a natural disaster in their area.
"For our soldiers, it allows them to interact with the local agencies and how they do business," said Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy James, the 230th BSB command sergeant major. "It helps the soldiers interact with the civilian methods and it helps us establish a rapport with our civilian counterparts in the area. It's a win/win, and what better way to do training than right outside the armory."
A POD established at the Wayne County state fairgrounds, comes equipped with water, ice, tarps for roof damage and Meals-Ready-to-Eat. Soldiers form an assembly line allowing the public to have commodities loaded into their vehicle, receive immunizations and be treated by local public health department representatives for any wounds sustained during a disaster. This type of distribution point is one of four that can support up 20,000 people per day.
"In an activation, if the county has a huge event and they have to activate a POD and they don't have anybody to operate that POD, then they will request the North Carolina National Guard's POD force package," said Melissa Greene, the Eastern Branch Emergency Management coordinator. "Those guys and girls will come in and run the POD line. They are there to provide those commodities to the public as they come through the line."
The second part of the domestic operation is the mass casualty exercise incorporating an off-road Ambulance Exchange Point. The scenario simulates a hostile shooter opening fire at the Goldsboro armory where local civilian medical counterparts aren't able to respond without the help of the 230th BSB. In the motor pool at the armory there are ten role-playing causalities that undergo a movie-like transformation using moulage, or costume kits, to paint on injuries for the medical teams to assess and treat.
"We are trying to make this more dramatic and as real as possible for our medics to train, treat and visually look at their causalities and know what to do," said 1st Lt. Melissa Mcgary, the 230th BSB medical surgical nurse. "Were trying to establish IV access in the back of the Front-Line Ambulances so that they get practice of doing it on the move."
During the transport of casualties to the aide stations, soldiers make a stop along their route to work with the Lenoir and Wayne county paramedics to familiarize soldiers with exchanging a patient from a FLA and litter to a civilian ambulance and stretcher.
"Were trying to incorporate and use those civilian assets as much as possible, because we don't really get a chance to train together," said Mcgary. "They need to check the box for their training too, so it is really helpful for the both of us."
This exercise gives soldiers hands-on experience while enhancing their assigned skills medics are evaluated on.
"The training today is led by Charlie Company," said 1st Sgt. Toni Mccray, the Charlie Company first sergeant. "This is part of what we do to keep our medics and our specialties credentialed. In order for a medic to maintain their military occupational specialty (MOS), they have to get 72 hours of continued education hours every two years. By doing this training, especially hands on, it gets them out of the classroom and gets them to actually do it, talk it, and get their points and hours."
After patients leave the ambulance exchange point they are transported to the medical aide station where medics re-assess casualties' wounds, administer follow-up treatment, and continue to stabilize casualties. This gives soldiers the opportunity to carry out assigned tasks while observing and cross training with their other platoons in one atmosphere.
"Our company is separated into three platoons, and when were able to come together as a company and see all the moving pieces, the platoons work together,"said McCray. "They start complimenting each other instead of it being evacuation, treatment and headquarters. For us to be operational we need all three pieces. It lets them get familiar with each other and learn other medics strengths and weaknesses."
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