Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. (March 28, 2024): In a simulated disaster, a gas leak has resulted in an explosion on base resulting in mass casualties and many victims suffering exposure to hazardous chemicals. In this photo by Samuel King Jr., Senior Airman Axel Rojas, 96th Civil Engineer Group, hoses down Airman Aaron Patrimonio, 96th Medical Group, during mass casualty exercise Ready Eagle II. The exercise challenged the 96th medics and firefighters to respond through the entire medical process, from triage and decontamination to higher-level care.

Ready Eagle II is a three-day long program that progresses from classroom work to tabletop exercises before concluding with a realistic simulated mass casualty event. For the final evaluation, instructors gauged the Airmen’s ability to respond to the threat by performing decontamination and triage on patients.

The Airmen practiced their Tactical Combat Casualty Care, the decontamination process, and executing their medical contingency response plan in a high-tempo situation. The exercise scenario involved chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives and  involved more than thirty simulated patients. The patients wore special effects makeup to replicate various injuries to add a sense of realism.

Medical teams treated simulated patients at the incident site, transported them to decontamination sites, conducted triage, and stabilized them for transport. Airmen began treating patients after determining the proper prioritization by gathering their information, applying bandages or tourniquets, and moving them to a simulated ambulance loading area.

Medics utilized training on the proper use of decontamination procedures to ensure the safety of medics by showering and cleaning the patients of all potentially hazardous chemicals before transport.

The 96th Medical Group also provides comprehensive medical care to approximately 92,000 eligible beneficiaries (active-duty military members, retirees, and their families) at Eglin and it serves as a teaching facility with an active residency program in dentistry and family practice medicine.