CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – To help personnel of Contingency Operating Base Basra prepare for a medical emergency, a mass casualty exercise was conducted Oct. 7.
The exercise allowed medics from 17th Fires Brigade, 34th Infantry Division and 204th Area Support Medical Company to train for injuries Soldiers may sustain after an indirect fire attack on COB Basra.
According to Maj. Scott Piecek, current operations officer, 34th Inf. Div. surgeon cell, the exercise was also conducted to test the communication and evacuation systems as well as the triage capabilities of the hospital located on the COB.
“The mass casualty exercise brings an element of realism,” the Cold Spring, Minn., native said. “It’s an opportunity to refine our (tactics, techniques, and procedures) and let us know what we need to do to improve.”
During the exercise, 17 casualties were evacuated from the area of impact to the hospital. Injuries sustained by the mock casualties included burns, fractures, shrapnel wounds and post-traumatic stress.
The on-site medical personnel assessed the casualties before evacuating them to the hospital for higher levels of treatment. This allows the medics to assess the method used to transport casualties.
“There is always room for improvement on procedures like this,” said Capt. Matt Majeski, executive officer, 204th ASMC. “This allows the Soldiers to see what may happen in the event of an IDF attack on the COB. It’s good practice for them.”
Majeski, an Urbana, Iowa, native said simulating mass casualties allows opportunities for medics to build confidence in their skills and show what they know when it comes to saving the life of a fellow service member.
Piecek believes the exercise went well and the Soldiers got a lot out of it.
“This was a great opportunity for real-life training,” he said. “It presented the Soldiers with stressors they may encounter during this type of emergency and they handled it well.”
