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AES prepares for disaster

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jonathan Lane
  • 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. --  Members of the 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron participated in a National Disaster Medical System exercise May 18 at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.

The training exercise, which has taken place annually for more than five years, is conducted in order to efficiently receive, triage, transport and manage patients during time of emergency or disaster.

“Understanding and knowing that there is a system in place that can help and treat victims is comforting,” said Capt. Lee Knoell, 315th AES medical service corps air reserve technician. “This cooperative effort can help save American lives during any type of disaster.”

The AES crew was responsible for transferring victims from the injury site to the staging location to be evaluated by way of a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.

“We were acting as the subject matter experts to the other participants,” said Master Sgt. Gregory Gaines, 315th AES aeromedical technician.

AES members are well trained in the medical field and are mostly comprised of Airmen who are employed as medical professionals in their civilian careers, Gaines said.

“Our AES team members are experts with in-flight care and are able to provide follow-on care once on the ground,” said Knoell.

The NDMS event included numerous agencies from around the state to include the Department of Veteran Affairs Emergency Management, U.S. Army, Red Cross, South Carolina State Guard, hospital system personnel, Civil Air Patrol, law enforcement as well as several emergency medical service members.

The 300th Airlift Squadron supported the AES with the flying portion of the exercise and even accomplished a real-world Denton cargo pickup of supplies bound for Haiti from Louisville Air National Guard Base, Kentucky.