445th AW joins in multi-unit training with 180th FW

  • Published
  • By Maj. Demetrius Smith
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  For the second year in a row, the 445th Airlift Wing participated in a joint training exercise hosted by the 180th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard in Swanton, Ohio.

The exercise, which took place June 4-7, 2015, brought together the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the Toledo Police Department, and other local police and fire departments who observed the activities.

According to 2nd Lt. Jordyn Sadowski, a 180th FW public affairs officer, the exercise was developed to enhance mission readiness and war fighting capabilities by providing hands-on-training for the proper handling and placement of deployable assets to Airmen of all ranks on the C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules aircrafts. 

The training kicked off with hands-on training June 4-6 including; aircraft familiarization, vehicle preparation, pallet building, air evacuation, aircraft configuration, winching training, trailer uploads, heavy equipment uploads, and chain restraint procedures.

The exercise provided a great opportunity for members of the 180th Logistics Readiness Squadron to get hands-on experience of loading the C-17. Being an F-16 Fighting Falcon base doesn't afford the 180 LRS members who are responsible for loading aircraft the skills needed unless they coordinate training with other Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve assets that fly cargo planes, said Senior Master Sgt. Dave Martin of the 180 LRS.

Master Sgt. Robert Garcia, a loadmaster with the 89th Airlift Squadron, said the objective of the exercise is to maximize total force Air Force Reserve along with Air National Guard working together in cohesion with local first responder agencies and first responder federal agencies.

The main exercise took place on Sunday June 7, and it entailed several different scenarios starting with a loaded C-17 catching on fire on the runway which caused a response from the Air National Guard's fire department along with other local fire departments to respond. The C-17 was loaded and had patients and those patients had to be evacuated from the aircraft, and also triaged for further disposition.

After the fire was contained and the plane was cleared of patients Master Sgt. Kevin Rawski of the 180th Security Forces, escorted local Toledo Police Department Officer Robin Matejewski and her police dog, Hugo, onto the plane to inspect for possible drugs.

A Customs and Border Protection Officer then inspected the C-17 for illegal vegetation. She stated that many people don't know it's illegal to bring in flowers and vegetables from other countries. There is a process that must be followed if you want to bring in foreign grown vegetation.

The next phase of the exercise required the triaged patients be loaded on the C-130 from the Mansfield ANG base. The 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron helped direct the loading and unloading of patients. Members of the Navy Reserve from the Navy Operational Support Center, Perrysburg, Ohio, the 180th Medical Group, and the Ohio Disaster Medical Assistance Team (OH-1/NDMS) served as patients and carried litters onto the C-130.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alisa Roberts of OH-1/NDMS, was excited to get the hands on training for her team. She said they encounter many types of aircraft when responding to national emergencies and this exercise provided familiarity for their first responders.

Each participating organization gained a better understanding of how the air evacuation process works with the C-17 and the C-130.

The exercise concluded with all of the participants being able to observe how the 445th AES provides in-flight care on a C-17.