Five members of Team Edwards were injured following a major earthquake Nov.16 and transported to a local hospital for treatment.
That was one of the scenarios for exercise Desert Wind 13-02, which took place in conjunction with the California Statewide Medical and Health Training Exercise Program.
Team Edwards partnered with Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster during the statewide exercise, working to help the hospital prepare for multiple patients while practicing how to transport victims to and from base.
The exercise tested Edwardsí first responders’ ability to handle a major local earthquake while the rest of Team Edwards conducted emergency management scenarios.
First responders from the 412th Security Forces Squadron, the Edwards AFB Fire Department and the 412th Medical Group, responded to a report of injuries at Bldg. 2600, where simulated victims had to be rescued from a roof collapse following the quake.
Medics treated the victims while security forces secured the area. Security forces also ensured security for the base’s resources and conducted road surveys to determine what roads were safe for travel and what roads could have been damaged during the simulated earthquake.
The base’s objectives for the exercise was to evaluate all elements of the disaster response force; perform accountability for base personnel; assess base-wide damage; establish external and internal communication; and to set plans for 24-hour operations.
Four volunteers along with the 412th MDG’s METlman mannequin, were “treated.” The volunteers were fitted with different injuries to make the simulation more real.
The METIman mannequin is a highly technical, highly advanced mannequin that assists in training. It added to the training scenario by allowing us to go beyond our normal capabilities using volunteers as patients. Medical personnel can start an IV on the mannequin and even cut its legs open to facilitate bleeding. The mannequin is operated through a simulator, which is controlled wirelessly from a nearby laptop. It gives the operator complete control over the patient’s environment. The technology provides virtually a limitless variety of scenarios for medical personnel to train with.
The five wounded personnel were then transported to Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster to help them train while they were conducting their own natural disaster exercise. Hospitals and schools around the state were practicing how they would respond to a major earthquake as part of the California Statewide Medical and Health Training Exercise Program.
The scenario for the 2012 Statewide Medical and Health Exercise was a loss of power due to an earthquake. An interruption of the power supply can occur for a variety of reasons: natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes or flooding, wild land and urban fires, mechanical failure and even human error. The impact would be the same – inability to maintain service to the community and its services. Power loss for medical and health providers is a significant concern and can further inhibit a community’s response to such an event.
The AV Hospital focused on topics such as communications, shelter-in-place, medical surge, incident command and resource logistics and distribution.
