HILL AIR FORCE BASE – Technicians from the 775th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight received training from University of Utah’s AirMed paramedics at the 775th EOD's proficiency range Aug. 17 at Hill Air Force Base.
Wade Spivey, flight paramedic, and Gail Sawyer, flight nurse, led the familiarization training because they or members of their team would be the actual responders called to the Utah Test and Training Range in case of an accident there.
“With the work that we do out on the UTTR, there’s a possibility that medical attention could be required and they would be the ones responding,” said Mathew Kimberling, 775th EOD superintendent. “We wanted to get our guys familiarized with their procedures and how to work with them in case of a ground emergency out there.”
Medical evacuation, landing-site requirements, rotary-wing safety, patient stabilization, and how to load and unload patients into the helicopter were among the topics discussed and practiced.
Kimberling said it was an important familiarization for EOD personnel and also for AirMed.
“We learned what each other’s care capabilities are and the best way to coordinate during an emergency situation,” he said. “We practiced how we would request response and how we would communicate with them as far as guiding them in and what they would be looking for to land their helicopter.”
The training was conducted at the simulated, on-base UTTR site so real-world operations weren’t interrupted at the test and training range.
Kimberling said one of the most valuable things his team learned is if a medical emergency occurs, and they’re uncertain if it requires a ground or air evacuation, they should instantly put in an AirMed request and it could be easily called off if it’s not needed.
“They want us to get the request in as quickly as we can if we think there’s a remote possibility that we will need air evac,” he said. “It gives our team the confidence that we will have the medical support we need if we get into a worst-case scenario and we will have it as quickly as possible.”