29 March 2024
When casualties needed immediate aeromedical evacuation during Exercise Viper Walk, staff from 1 Expeditionary Health Squadron’s (1EHS) air-transportable Role 2 forward hospital were ready to step in.
Some casualties were brought directly to the aviators while others came from different facilities. All were then loaded onto evacuation aircraft.
An Air Force critical care team (MCAT) worked in the Army Role 2E hospital to ensure patients transitioned safely to aeromedical evacuation.
Role 2 forward Commander for 1EHS, Squadron Leader Rob Kelly, said the training was a long time in the making.
“We’ve been trying to improve interoperability and integration between Army and Air Force medical treatment facilities and we’ve been talking for well over 18 months about how to achieve this,” he said.
“Then Army presented us with this excellent opportunity and we couldn’t say no.”
Squadron Leader Pete Yuide is a reservist general surgeon with 2EHS. He also works full time at the Prince Charles and Mater hospitals in Brisbane.
“With enough notice I can make anything happen because this is important,” he said.
He worked with a US Air Force general surgeon for the first time and an anaesthetist from Alaska who were both embedded to test integration capability.
Squadron Leader Yuide also spent one morning looking at Army’s Role 2 forward capabilities, drawing similarities and differences between the platforms.
“Both services learnt from one another – RAAF is agile, whereas Army is skilled in practiced methodologies around paperwork, equipment and packaging, which we are taking lessons from,” he said.
Previous exercise outcomes acknowledged the need to get lighter, meaning surplus surgical equipment needed to go.
The unit took lessons from the US Golden Hour Offset Surgical Team on how to stay light, leading RAAF to modify dental sterilisers as an effective method of sustainment in the field.
Historically, there has been reluctance to use sterilisation kits on exercise, but Viper Walk has altered routine practice.
“Twelve months ago we would’ve exhausted our kit, then waited for resupply,” Squadron Leader Yuide said.
“This was the first for me where we have used a tray within exercise, successfully sterilised it and put it back through the system.
“Effectively, we have now perfected a procedure on-site to provide more care.”
