CE, SFS partner for realistic combat training

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Alan Ricker
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. – Airmen assigned to the 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron and the 22nd Security Forces Squadron participated in Tactical Combat Casualty Care training June 26-27, held for the first time here at the mock village on base.

The purpose of the training was to further familiarize the personnel about casualty care and to increase readiness to apply it to potential combat scenarios, said Senior Airman Kaanen Brabbs, 22nd CES Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician.

The first day of TCCC training consisted of classroom instruction on medical skills and equipment used to provide care for the wounded Airmen then implemented the skills and equipment in realistic scenarios the following day.

The classroom training walked students through different phases of combat casualty care and reflected different situations that may appear in a deployed environment, Brabbs said.

The students also participated in field-care lessons, which included stabilizing the patient and controlling hemorrhaging, circulation and the airways of the patient. Once the classroom instruction was complete, the Airmen were ready for hood drills the next day.

“A hood drill is really what it sounds like,” Brabbs said. “They put a hood over your head, and stick you into a situation or scenario. You’re going in blind, so everything is really just making you react by impulse and by instinct.”

The instructors separated the Airmen into four groups and rotated them through three scenarios. They included a village with a surprise attack, an improvised explosive device near a Humvee and vocal communication to direct an injured teammate to treat his wounds when other Airmen were not able to reach him.

The TCCC training allowed the Airmen to apply leadership, communication and team-based skills in realistic scenarios.

“What we gain from this course is a perishable skill since we’re not medics,” said Senior Airman Louis Simpson, 22nd CES EOD technician. “Ideally, we would prefer to have this training recur every two years to help sharpen our skills, but individuals who haven’t had TCCC before or have combat experience, have now been exposed to this level of training and are familiar with TCCC skills and core concepts.”