Air Force swiftly swings into action to achieve mission

By Andrew Stackpool

Members of the aero medical evacuation flight from Darwin work with the NSW Ambulance Service to unload Bali blast victims into an ambulance at RAAF Base Williamtown.

Photo by SGT William Guthrie

AIR Force was at the forefront of the Australian Government’s response to the evacuation of people injured in the latest bombing in Bali.

Twenty-three people, including four Australians, died when three suicide bombs
exploded on the Indonesian province island on the evening of October 1.

Operation Bali Assist II was in response to the Government tasking Defence to medically evacuate the wounded Australians back home.

It is the latest in a long series of humanitarian relief operations by the ADF, which have included the 1999 tidal waves in Papua New Guinea, the earthquakes in Iran and cyclones in Vanuatu in 2004, the bombings in Bali in October 2002 and the tsunami and earthquake relief operations in Sumatra earlier this year.

Officer Commanding No. 86 Wing Group Captain John Oddie said that many of the Air Force personnel turned to for this latest medical evacuation relief mission were veterans of the two Sumatra Assist operations.

No. 86 Wing Headquarters was informed of the incident late on the night of October 1 and within an hour had recalled a planning group to coordinate the response.

“We are transitioning from a Wing Headquarters to an Air Mobility Control Centre (AMCC), which had stood up earlier that day, so it was an interesting test of the new centre,” he said.

“We had a plan ready by 2am on Sunday morning [October 2] and passed our final recommendations to Air Vice-Marshal Quaife [Air Commander Australia at RAAF Base Glenbrook] by 6am

“While this was going on, we organised a Wing Operations Centre to deploy forward to RAAF Base Darwin under command of Wing Commander David Bishop, the No. 86 Wing Executive Officer.

“Three Security Police personnel deployed to Bali to provide liaison for the Indonesian police and security personnel for the ADF personnel at Bali airport.

“The WOC and an Air Lift Control team were on the first Air Force aircraft out. It departed Richmond at midday.”

While the planning process was in train, personnel from Nos. 36, 37 and 38 Squadrons and the Wing Headquarters were recalling personnel, preparing aircraft and No. 36 Squadron personnel, and under Warrant Officer Phil Mackie, were testing the aero medical evacuation equipment to ensure that it could be flown on the H-model Hercules, as this was not formally approved.

Group Captain Oddie said the mission already had aircraft well placed. There were two H and two J-model C-130s deployed to Darwin for Exercise Bersama Lima and another C-130 in Perth.

The exercise aircraft were reassigned for the event and then returned to the exercise as quickly as possible.

Elements from No. 38 Squadron, two technicians from No. 386 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron, and an
eight-person aero medical evacuation team and three-person Air Force Medical Assessment Element (MAE) flew to Darwin by civil aircraft. Meanwhile, Commanding Officer No. 3 Combat Support Hospital Wing Commander Steve Davis and the Emergency Assessment Team flew to Bali direct by civil air. They were the first Air Force personnel on the ground.

A total of about 40 personnel deployed for the operation, including security personnel, medics and technicians.
Group Captain Oddie paid tribute to the response by RAAF Base Darwin in supporting the southern-based visitors.

“They were outstanding,” he said.

With the response elements in place and the WOC running, two C-130s departed Darwin on the evening of October 2, returning the following day with 22 evacuees. They comprised 14 patients and eight family members.

Another flight into Bali on the evening of October 4 ferried in about 2,000kg of medical supplies for the local authorities and then repatriated the remaining Air Force personnel, apart from Wing Commander Davis, who remained until October 7 to ensure no further aero medical evacuations were required.

By early afternoon of October 5, Air Force’s role in the tragedy had concluded with disbandment of the WOC and the repatriation from Darwin to Newcastle of nine Australian patients and four other people.

The aero medical evacuation team provided the victims ongoing care throughout the flights.

Wing Commander Bishop said that the coincidental pre-positioning of the Hercules in Darwin [for Bersama Lima] had worked in the teams’ favour but that without the tireless support of everybody, it would not have come to pass.

“I think it went well,” he said. “Our first contact was at 11pm on the start of a long weekend and we had the first aircraft running by midday next day. That only happened because we had all the folks there, working hard all night.

“They are the unsung heroes working back all through the night to get it all together.

“It was a magnificent effort on their part and I was most impressed with the dedication of my own team.”

 

Bringing them back home
CDF congratulates operation's personnel

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