'Operation Outbreak' focuses on H1N1 flu

  • Published
  • By Major David Sell
  • 452 AMDS
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. --  The annual Military Appreciation Picnic weekend was anything but relaxing for the 140 men and women of the 452rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron (AMDS). They kept a busy schedule seeing Airmen for physicals, immunizations, deployment physicals, and preparing for their annual mass casualty exercise. 

Due to the influx of personnel for the combined UTA, lines for regular monthly immunizations (including the flu vaccine) wrapped around the corner and down the hallway to the dental clinic. In spite of it all, clinic personnel managed to conduct five hours of medical readiness training and a four hour mass casualty exercise now known as "OPERATION Outbreak." 

The exercise began at 8 a.m. with the 'discovery' of a container of the 'Swine Flu' virus that had been placed in a clinic classroom. Before long, doctors, nurses and medical technicians had identified personnel who had been exposed to the flu and transported them to on-base locations and off-base hospitals for isolation and treatment. 

"I think, overall, the team did a great job at what was, for most of them, a completely new type of patient to deal with. We purposely made the scenario a pandemic flu related-incident because the way we assess and treat patients is completely different from a traumatic event," said Col. Ron Rondeau, 452 AMDS Commander. 

The exercise included a "how to report casualties" briefing by the Military Personnel Flight's PERSCO team. Security forces, base transportation, bioenvironmental, public health, command post and base chaplains also participated in the exercise as allied agencies. 

"The team from the MSG [Mission Support Group] was very supportive. We had security forces involvement at our vehicle accident scene and MSS [Mission Support Squadron] involvement in standing up our control center. We really appreciate their taking time from their busy schedule to help us out," said Colonel Rondeau. 

The second half of the exercise involved a simulated motor vehicle accident between a golf cart and semi-truck on the flightline. All medical personnel responded appropriately, despite a timeline that had been designed to produce a chaotic and stressful situation for command and control and the responding medics. The response was nearly flawless 30 minutes after the start of the exercise. 

The clinic's commander for the exercise was Col. (Dr.) Ismail Halabi, Senior Flight Surgeon, who ensured he had the right people in the right places with the right equipment. The exercise proved to be realistic, thanks to the pre-planning by the Exercise Evaluation Team and the superb moulage by Senior Master Sgt. Clayton Cortinas, the clinic's long time Self-Aid and Buddy Care and CPR instructor. 

"Really good moulage is a very important component to bringing out realism to any exercise," said Senior Master Sgt. Fred Miles, Exercise Evaluation Team Assistant Chief. 

According to the Medical Unit Readiness Training Regulations, the pandemic flu outbreak mass casualty scenario is required to be performed annually and the 452 AMDS went above and beyond this year. 

"From what I can remember, this was a first-time effort done at this base at this level," said Nancy Driscoll, Chief of the Bioenvironmental Engineering and Public Health Department. 

While the exercise did meet all of the exercise objectives, the clinic plans to refine and practice based on lessons learned. In light of the current threat of a massive flu outbreak, the AMDS plans to repeat the exercise in the future.