Air Force, Army Reserve units team up for first ever CCATT training

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jessica Coffin
  • 934th ASTS Unit PA Rep
MINNEAPOLIS ST PAUL AIR RESERVE STATION --  Major Don Brock, of the 934th Aeromedical Staging Squadron in Minneapolis, and Sergeant First Class Jeremy Coudron of C co 2/211th Army National Guard, had been brainstorming about their idea for a while. When they first came up with it, the concept of the 934th and the 2/211th getting together to train each other was a fantasy--nothing to hold their breath over. But after two years of careful planning and steady persistence, their wishful thinking became a reality.

The joint training was the first of its kind locally. "We're setting Minnesota up for success," said Army Sergeant Christopher Stephensen. With the Air Force Reserve recently being repositioned to accommodate local disaster relief, the possibility of working alongside the Army National Guard is increasingly more likely. By proactively training, the two units can improve their effectiveness and become a local resource should disaster strike.

The participating members of the Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT) based out of Minneapolis, Minn., consisted of Major Brock, Maj. Mike Mackovich, Maj. Adam Hohman and Tech.  Sgt. Matthew Simoncavage. Their military knowledge is vast, and combined with their civilian experience (over 65 years) they were united as a CCATT team. Made up of two Intensive Care Unit nurses, a nurse practitioner and respiratory therapist -- respectively--their advanced levels of training qualified them for the rare opportunity to care for critical patients in-flight with the Air Force. There are currently only a few CCATT teams throughout the entire Air Force Reserve.

SFC Coudron of C 2/211 invited the Minnesota Medical Detachment (Med Det) to participate in the exercise as part of their annual tour at Camp Ripley,  Little Falls, Minn. The Medical Detachment's role in the theatre would make the training invaluable as their ground medical assets perfectly complement the role of the 2/211th air assets. Two members from 1/145th HHC Armor Regiment in Ohio participated as well, fully participating as ground medics. 

Sergeant Coudron, along with Maj. Daniel O'Meara, Unit Commander, worked to coordinate with the Medical Detachment to ensure training would be as close to what actually happens in theatre, as possible.

In early June, the two groups met at Camp Ripley, near Little Falls for the four day exercise. The joint training event was the first for both the Air Force and Army members. The goal of the event was borne out of experiences both parties had while deployed overseas. They found that, although their training was good, there were gaps that exchanges in knowledge were apt to fill regarding the transport of critical patients in aircrafts. The CCATT lacked experience on helicopters with Army flight medic augmentation, and the 2/211th lacked experience with patients in critical medical conditions.

"This could be easily become a model to improve our care of critical patients in the field", said Coudron, regarding the training.

Critical care has no specific limitations--from chest-tubes to surgically-opened abdomens, patients can be in delicate states regarding one, or many of their physical systems. The transporting of patients effectively and safely in theatre means balancing their precarious states in high stress environments. Learning how to best manage in these conditions was the end-goal for both parties for both overseas and local application.

The first day was dedicated to introducing each group to the other's equipment, safety procedures, and aircraft familiarization. Forty members-- both Army and Air Force-- came together to learn the many configurations of the Blackhawk, and how to safely approach it while the rotors are in motion. This was of the utmost importance for members to understand as communication with the aircrew, and each other during transportation, is a key factor in maintaining safety for both patient and transporter.

During the morning of the next day, the CCATT gave lessons in their advanced care; overviews which introduced complications that can occur while in-flight with a critical patient and what type of equipment loads members can anticipate while transporting a CCATT patient. Stanchions of medical devices can weigh up to an excess of 100 pounds and effective preparation for this kind of transport can mean the difference of minutes or hours for a patient while in the field.

In the afternoon, the lessons and training were put to the test with simulated patients being transported in Blackhawks. In the full exercise, the 2/211th, Med Det, and CCATT practiced preparing a patient "fresh out of surgery" for transport.
The patient was packaged, and within minutes of loading the last of the medical team, the helicopter took flight. The pilots cleared the crew for movement and the medical team-- a pairing of an Army Flight Medic from the 2/211th, a CCATT nurse, and CCATT respiratory therapist, sprung into action caring for the patient and his simulated complications in-flight.

There were six flights total, each mixing and matching members and for each simulation, to fully maximize the training from the previous day. As the exercises came to a close, the lessons continued as both Army and Air Force fervently exchanged experiences of their flights and compared them to action they'd seen in the theatre.

For those who were able to attend the training in its entirety, they earned over 25 hours of Continuing Education Unit credits over the course of four days. But more valuable than the credits earned, they gained hands-on experience. "It's truly immeasurable in value; we don't know if or when we would have had the opportunity to get this experience otherwise," said Army Specialist Jesse Tichy, of the 1/145th. "Aside from being in-theatre, joint-force training is infrequent and difficult to come by, but by the end of the exercise at Camp Ripley, I think the relationships forged between these branches was as natural as breathing."