Decon team beats clock

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Robert L. McIlrath
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  To some, 20 minutes may not seem like a long time, but for the 82nd Medical Group Decontamination team, it's more than enough time to fully assemble a decontamination shelter ready to receive patients.

The 82nd MDG conducted a decontamination exercise and demonstration of competency March 13 outside of their main building.

A decontamination exercise consists of a team, in this instance of 19 members, that must put on protective gear, connect a water heater and assemble a portable shelter that is ready to receive patients. The exercise is timed and mandatory at least four times a year.

"The benefit of this exercise is readiness," said Capt. Marquita F. Knight, an occupational therapist and in-place patient decontamination team chief. "You don't know when an event could happen, we want to be prepared all of the time."

The exercise is vital to ensuring all measures are taken to keep people safe in an emergency. Among the most important aspects of the exercise are the decontamination tents.

Decontamination tents treat patients exposed to any chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive event. If a person were to become contaminated, they must be decontaminated outside before entering a military training facility to protect those inside from contamination.

Time is of the essence during the decontamination exercises.

"The Air Force has a time standard. If you look at the Air Force Tactics Techniques and Procedures, once the team is assembled, they should be able to have the shelter assembled and ready to receive patients," said retired Brig. Gen. Theresa Casey, instructor consultant and former 82nd MDG commander. "That's shelter up, water heater on, every member in their personal protective gear in 20 minutes or less."
 
The team finished the exercise with a little more than seven minutes left on the clock.
 
"As a team the more experienced hands were able to work with the new people and were able as a team to put it up successfully and do it fast," Casey said.
 
"We talked about the 'why' in the classroom, and then the 'how-to' is demonstrated in the field," Casey said. "It's one thing to sit in a classroom and watch slides to see how something should be done, but the advantage of this course is that the group was able to incorporate what they learned."

Sheppard 82nd MDG performed above average before the exercise began.
 
"Normally, coordination of this exercise takes 60 to 90 days, they did it in 10," said Casey. "They are very dedicated to making sure that they can provide the best care to patients."
 
The exercise is a group effort. Members of the wing leadership and the fire chief and his crew were present during the exercise.
 
"We are very dependent on the input and expertise of the fire chief and his response so we can do our job back at the med group," Casey said "It's definitely about team Sheppard out here."