Life support, medical Airmen provide assistance in SAFE SKIES 2011

  • Published
  • By Maj. Matthew T. Mutti
  • SAFE SKIES 2011 Public Affairs
MIRGOROD AIR BASE, Ukraine (AFNS) --  Two life support Airmen and four medical Airmen are supporting participants in SAFE SKIES 2011, a joint U.S., Ukraine and Polish exercise where Air National Guard pilots fly engagements with Ukrainian Su-27, Mig-29s and Polish F-16s.

SAFE SKIES 2011 is designed to develop the Ukraine and Polish air sovereignty operations in preparation for the EUROCup.

These teams have unique challenges while working with the Ukrainian air force, but these experiences have provided a great learning opportunity while they prepare Ukrainian pilots to fly with U.S. personnel and provide preventative medical support to the Air National Guard members living in Ukraine for the event, officials said.

"These Airmen are in a foreign environment, and they need to be aware that there are unique pathogens that their bodies may not be accustomed to," said Staff Sgt. Briza Guzman, a member of the California Air National Guard. "We inspect the food and take precautions to ensure everyone is healthy to continue the mission."

In addition to a public health specialist, the bio-environmental technician ensures the members don't suffer from heat exhaustion; and in the rare case medical assistance is needed, the unit works with the flight doctor to treat the members.

"Heat and the environment provide the greatest opportunity for our members to need medical care," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Shahzad Jahromi, the flight surgeon assigned to the California Air National Guard.

The other aspect of flight medicine is to prepare the pilots for flight, he said. The flight doctor will run the pilots through a flight physical to ensure they are prepared to fly. The same is true for the Ukraine pilots who participate in the pilot-exchange program.

"We run the Ukraine pilots through the same physical we use with our pilots," Jahromi said. "We ensure they can handle the physiological strain, and then we send them over to life support to be sized for their equipment."

"Once the pilots are cleared to fly, we work with them to make sure all their equipment is fitted specifically for them," said Tech. Sgt. Kamee Wilson, a life support technician from the Alabama Air National Guard. "The Ukraine pilots wear all of the U.S. gear, from flight suits, to gloves, to the G-suit and harnesses; we need to ensure they are ready to fly in our jets."

The life support team has worked with the Ukraine pilots who use similar gear for their pilots, and for the U.S. pilots who fly in their aircraft, she said.

"The primary difference in our equipment is the way it is tailored," Wilson said. "We have a lot a of minor adjustments that need to be made to ensure a perfect fit; the Ukrainian gear seems a little more one-size fits all."

When the pilot goes up to fly, all the equipment needs to be sized and worn correctly to prevent future visits to flight medicine, she said. All these precautions are necessary to ensure the SAFE SKIES 2011 mission is completed. 

Ukraine airmen depending on our support to help them increase their proficiency in airspace defense, in preparation for the 2012 EUROCup, officials said.