Air Force medics need to be ready at a moment’s notice

  • Published
  • By Kristen Van Wert
  • 88th Medical Group
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  

Readiness and the ability to respond effectively and rapidly to mass casualty events are critical components of being an Air Force medic. When the 88th Medical Group participated in a Ready Eagle II event in fall 2024, those skills were put to the test.

Ready Eagle II was a three-day event building on the training conducted during Ready Eagle I, focusing on addressing capability gaps and developing skills. The training aimed to enhance home station medical response capabilities, team integration, and response skills. The exercise culminated in a capstone event simulating a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives mass casualty scenario.

In conjunction with the 88th MDG Mighty Medics, Ready Eagle contractors provided training seminars, equipment reviews, tabletop discussions, and a full-scale exercise plan emphasizing Response Training and Assessment Program tools and skills introduced during the first two days. The exercise strengthened communication and coordination between response teams and installation first responders.

More than 150 active-duty members and essential civilian staff from the 88th MDG, along with key wing agencies, played a role in the event. Wright State University, near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is home to a performing arts program. During the capstone portion of the exercise, 41 patient actors from the university’s drama department participated, further enhancing the medics’ experience.

As patient actors with various wounds and symptoms arrived at the decontamination area, medics and home station medical response team members jumped into action. Working in teams, they identified those needing immediate treatment, applying tourniquets or bandages as necessary. The team prioritized non-ambulatory patients, decontaminated them, and moved them to the clinic for evaluation and further care.

“Ready Eagle is a chance for us to validate the skills we use and learn each day,” said Chief Master Sgt. Eva Friend, 88th MDG senior enlisted leader. “This gives our teams a chance to shine in the most important and vital areas of our Train, Treat, Teach mission.”