Ali Al Salem AB medical evacuation training enhances coalition partnership, skillsets Published Feb. 16, 2023 By Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait (AFNS) -- Airmen from the 405th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and the 386th Expeditionary Medical Squadron trained with the U.S. Army and coalition partners from Italy and Denmark to practice setting up a C-130J Super Hercules for patient transport and evacuation. “This training is for if we had to evacuate patients from the base rapidly and we had to move patients around the world to new, safer locations,” said Lt. Col. Carolyn Stateczny, 405th EAES chief nurse. “We like [the C-130] because we can get it in and out of just about anywhere.” U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 386th Expeditionary Medical Squadron and the 405th Expeditionary Air Evacuation Squadron load a litter onto the clamps of a C-130J Super Hercules at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Feb. 8, 2023. Airmen from the 386th EMDS, 405th EAES, U.S. Army 109th Medical Detachment Veterinarian Support Services, and coalition partners from Italy and Denmark teamed up to prepare and load patients onto a C-130J Super Hercules. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 386th Expeditionary Medical Squadron and the 405th Expeditionary Air Evacuation Squadron learn how to take care of a K-9 patient from U.S. Army 109th Medical Detachment Veterinarian Support Services at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Feb. 8, 2023. Airmen from the 386th EMDS, 405th EAES, U.S. Army 109th MDVSS, and coalition partners from Italy and Denmark teamed up prepare and load patients onto a C-130J Super Hercules. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 386th Expeditionary Medical Squadron and the 405th Expeditionary Air Evacuation Squadron learn how to take care of a K-9 patient from U.S. Army 109th Medical Detachment Veterinarian Support Services at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Feb. 8, 2023. Airmen from the 386th EMDS, 405th EAES, U.S. Army 109th MDVSS, and coalition partners from Italy and Denmark teamed up prepare and load patients onto a C-130J Super Hercules. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res During the training, Airmen from the 405th EAES reconfigured the C-130 from being able to load cargo to being prepped to hold multiple levels of stretchers, rising from the floor to the ceiling of the aircraft. Once the aircraft was configured, Airmen and coalition partners then unloaded patient stand-ins from a bus and ambulance on stretchers, giving valuable experience about maneuvering with stretchers and loading patients into aircraft. “[Loading stretchers] seems so simple. You think it’s easy to do it,” said Capt. MaryCaitlin Guasti, 386th EMDS clinical nurse. “There is a whole technique to loading patients. We have to work as a team to make sure they get in the right position and ensure that the patients aren’t twisting or receiving more injuries. We also have to make sure that we can access the patient if anything was to go wrong in flight.” A K-9 training dummy is prepared to be strapped onto a litter and loaded into a C-130J Super Hercules at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Feb 8, 2023. Airmen from the 386th Expeditionary Medical Squadron, 405th Expeditionary Air Evacuation Squadron, U.S. Army 109th Medical Detachment Veterinarian Support Services, and coalition partners from Italy and Denmark teamed up to learn how to prepare and load patients onto a C-130J Super Hercules. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Larsen) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res To ensure that Airmen and coalition partners are ready for those situations, they ran through exercises handling unexpected events, such as how to take care of K-9 patients that are being transported and critical care patients that may need extra attention.