Wolf Pack medics participate in joint ‘dust-off’ training

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Chelsea Sweatt
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Airmen from the 8th Medical Group participated in joint emergency medical evacuation training with Soldiers of Charlie Company, 3-2 General Support Aviation Battalion out of Camp Humphreys May 17, 2017.

The Soldiers assisted in the transportation of simulated patients utilizing their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to hone joint air medical evacuation operations, also known as "dust-off" training.

“The training was educational we learned how to make a 9 Line MEDEVAC request,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Siedzik, 80th Fighter Squadron medical technician. “[We] also learned how to work with the crew chief to safely get patients to the bird.”

According to Siedzik, the flight medics focused on on-board equipment, different patient configurations the helicopter is capable of and cold and hot loading, which is loading patients onto the helicopter with the rotor off for cold loading, and on for hot loading.

“This training provided everybody the chance to get exposure to the aircraft,” said Siedzik. “In the event we need to MEDEVAC a patient we are familiar with the different procedures and measures to transport a casualty safely.”