Multinational students receive training from U.S. medics

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Julius Delos Reyes
  • MEDCEUR 11 Public Affairs
CAMP PEPELISHTE, Macedonia (AFNS) --  Thirty-nine students from Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, participated in a Defense Institute for Medical Operations disaster planners course here June 6 to 10.

This course was part of the 2011 Medical Training Exercise in Central and Eastern Europe, an annual regional and multilateral exercise sponsored by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is held in the spirit of NATO's Partnership for Peace.

The disaster-planning course introduced basic elements of crafting a disaster plan and covered issues that may come into play when implementing the plan. The goal of the class was to improve the participating nations' ability to plan, prepare, respond and recover from a disaster.

"We take them from a basic program, where they have no emergency operation plan in place, and walk them through the process of why they need a national emergency operation plan," said Lt. Col. Luis Morales, an Air Force international health specialist with DIMO. "This includes the various parts of the plan and how to localize it to their specific country."

Combining classroom lectures and practical exercises, the course educated members of military and civilian agencies about disaster planning. Lecture topics included phases of emergency management, an introduction to disaster planning, an overview of emergency support functions, the role of volunteer and non-government organizations, and legal and human rights.

In addition, the students received information on plans for nuclear, chemical and biological threats, psychological aspects of disaster response, military support to civilian agencies, terrorism and the scope of a rapid needs assessment.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Col. Mirsad Pajevic, the Department for Logistic Policy Plans and Operation chief, said this kind of course is most important to a real situation, such as an elemental disaster including weather and earthquake, and shows how to use military capability in case of natural disaster.

"The exchange of information with participating countries, especially between regional countries that also have the same situation like us, is important," Colonel Pajevic said. "This kind of exercise is excellent for us to improve our capacity. The knowledge we gain is most important for good planning and preparing for a disaster."