Aeromedical evacuation teams test lifesaving skills at Rodeo

  • Published
  • By Capt. Marnee Losurdo
  • Rodeo 2007 Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFPN) --  Within minutes, five Airmen transformed the empty bay of a C-17 Globemaster III into a medical care facility capable of hauling wounded military members from the war zone to a hospital for treatment July 23 not in Southwest Asia but at McChord Air Force Base.

Having deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the scenario is a familiar one for the Pope Air Force Base, N.C., aeromedical evacuation team, which put its skills to the test during Air Mobility Command's Rodeo 2007.

The Pope AFB aeromedical evacuation team is competing against six U.S. teams and a Pakistani team for the title of best aeromedical evacuation team.

"The competition is beneficial because we get to test our skills against other aeromedical evacuation squadrons," said Capt. Amy Crow, a flight nurse and medical crew director for Pope AFB's 43rd Aeromedical Medical Evacuation Squadron team. Like their competitors, the Pope AFB team consists of a medical crew director, flight nurse and three air medical evacuation technicians.

The Pope AFB squadron is one of four active-duty and 15 Air Force Reserve Command aeromedical evacuation squadrons. About 80 percent of the aeromedical mission is accomplished by the Reserve, said Lt. Col. Jennette Zmaeff, a flight nurse with AFRC's 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at McChord AFB who has deployed in support of the war on terrorism.

"When we deploy, we come from different bases, so Rodeo not only helps build camaraderie among the different (aeromedical evacuation) units, but also it promotes information sharing and consistency in how we do our job," said Colonel Zmaeff who works as a nurse at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. "We are there to get the job done and do it in the most efficient way possible."

To claim the Rodeo 2007 title, teams are scored in three timed events: An aeromedical flight configuration, a static configuration and a litter endurance course. The flight and static configurations test a team's ability to set up their medical equipment on an aircraft during flight and while the aircraft is parked.

Teams also participate in a litter endurance course. During the 30-minute event, teams assess and treat injured servicemembers and overcome obstacles they might encounter while retrieving a wounded military member from the field.

For each real-world mission, medical teams must consider the type of aircraft they will use because different airframes require specific medical equipment and litter configurations. The three aircraft most used for medical evacuation missions are the C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules and KC-135 Stratotanker. Rodeo 2007 incorporates all three of these aircraft into the competition.

For the Pope AFB team, the C-130 is their home, but they have used the C-17 for transports when they were deployed, said the captain.

"We are universally qualified so we know all the aircraft (used for aeromedical evacuations)," she said.

For the medical professionals from Pope AFB, their Rodeo 2007 experience is bittersweet.

"It's the squadron's first and last Rodeo," Captain Crow said.

Pulling a challenge coin from her pocket, she points to the logo displayed on the front.

"'The Last Dance' is our unit's motto for this Rodeo," she said. The last round of BRAC closings impacted the 43rd Airlift Wing, which is deactivating soon and the base is being transferred to the Army.

The captain might participate in another Rodeo, but not with the 43rd AW. Whether she does or not, she said she would continue to deploy globally to provide wounded military members with needed care.

"I like deploying -- to bring the troops home," she said. "It's the best part of our job." 

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