Stitch up on the gallop
Tri-nation approach to field health care

Maj Chris Topousek (Australian Medical Officer) Capt Ian Barrett (NZ Nursing Officer) Dr Oliver Barrett (Australian surgeon) and SSgt Pav Taylor (UK Medic) treat mock-patient Maj Lee Turner (NZ Nursing Officer) in the 2HSB surgery on Ex Predators Gallop. Photo By Cpl Damian Shovell, Army newspaper

By Cpl Damian Shovell

NEW Zealand 2HSB and British Long Look participants joined Brisbane’s 2HSB in the field on this year’s Exercise Predators Gallop.

2IC 2HSB Brisbane, Capt Nick Basson, said having the added elements onboard and the inclusion of some new procedures posed new challenges for the exercise.

“We’ve integrated with the CSSB Heath Coy. The CSSB has detached a lot of its medics forward with the Battle Group, so they have been able to establish Resus’ teams to the rear echelon of each of the Battle Groups,” he said.

“They [Resus’ teams] have the Kiwi medical section, which is over here from 2HSB in New Zealand, and they are conducting the Resus’ bays.

“They have two set up, which is slightly different to the Australian system.”

Capt Basson said having the Kiwis onboard has proven to be an added asset.

“Aside from interpreting a few accents when they get a bit excitable, [it was] fantastic.

“The New Zealanders have a slightly different medical training system to us, their basic medic does a much longer training course than ours so they have some very good clinical skills and are certainly a very proactive and professional team – they’ve done very well on this exercise.”

Among the Kiwi contingent was Maj Lee Turner, who transferred to the New Zealand Nursing Corps from the British Army a year ago and said he found few differences in working alongside the Australian and British Armies.

“It’s been good,” he said.

“It’s always interesting to see how your allies work and as you never know when you’re going to be working together, it’s good to know what your capabilities are.”

SSgt Pav Taylor, a British theatre technician and Exercise Long Look participant on attachment to 2HSB in Brisbane since mid-May agreed.

“It’s very similar. The main objective of Long Look is to work with Australians to see how they do things in comparison to how we do,” he said.

“A lot of the kit is very similar and I’ve learnt a few things from the Australians that I can take back to the British Army and likewise, hopefully they can take some ideas from me.”

2HSB deployed to Predators Gallop for both the Mount Bundy and Delamere phases of the exercise and conducted both real-time and simulated responses to medical emergencies.

Capt Basson said the major real-time incident for the exercise was responding to a 2 Cav Regt ASLAV roll-over during the Mount Bundy live-fire activity.

“There was one Priority One, Two, and Three casualty that we treated in our facility,” he said.

All three casualties recovered from the accident with two returning to the field and the third remaining in Darwin.

The training continued at Delamere with some simulated mass casualties, which included having the Kiwis within the mass casualty plan.

“We also did some AME training and 5 Avn Regt provided Black Hawks and also a Chinook.

“We also integrated training with 1 Armd Regt, 2 Cav Regt and 5/7RAR, in bringing casualties all the way from the front line through to our facility to Resus’ and theatre.”