Reservist flight paramedics train active duty ground medical team on C-130H patient transfer

Published Sept. 21, 2023
By Tech. Sgt. Justin Norton
302nd Airlift Wing

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. --

Flight paramedics from the 34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron taught 21st Medical Group Airmen to onload and offload patients onto a C-130H Hercules aircraft Sept. 13, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado.

The 34 AES Airmen trained the 21 MDG active duty ground team on proper procedures for carrying patients strapped to litters, approaching the rear of the aircraft and securing them into stanchions installed in the cargo bay.

“When they deploy, if their first interaction is with loading patients onto stanchions in potentially aggressive environments, that can be difficult and isn’t the best way to learn,” said Tech. Sgt. Myles Johnson, 34 AES flight paramedic. “I think it’s an incredible opportunity to be able to teach them here because it helps develop trust both ways.”

A group of Airmen securing their peers into litters on an aircraft parking ramp with mountains in the background and a C-130 wing behind them. — Reservist flight paramedics train active duty ground medical team on C-130H patient transfer

Flight paramedic reservists from the 34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron train active-duty 21st Medical Group Airmen to onload and offload patients onto a C-130H Hercules aircraft Sept. 13, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. The training was part of a curriculum that required hands-on experience with a fixed wing aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Norton)

An Airman in a flight suit extends his arm toward an aircraft cargo bay to direct two Airman carrying a patient on a litter. — Reservist flight paramedics train active duty ground medical team on C-130H patient transfer

Senior Airman Nathaniel Manchester, 34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flight paramedic, directs a team of 21st Medical Group Airmen carrying a patient into the cargo bay of a C-130H Hercules aircraft during a training exercise at Peterson Space Force Base, Sept. 13, 2023. Reservists taught the active-duty ground medical team how to transport and secure patients to stanchions inside the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Norton)

An Airman kneeling in front of a patient while another Airman pulls a strap across the legs of someone in a litter. — Reservist flight paramedics train active duty ground medical team on C-130H patient transfer

Capt. Annie Fagundes, 21st Operational Medical Readiness Squadron family nurse practitioner, observes Senior Airman Nathaniel Manchester, 34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flight paramedic, as he straps a patient to a litter during a training exercise at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, Sept. 13, 2023. Reservists taught the active-duty Airmen onloading and offloading procedures for patients to a C-130H Hercules aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Norton)

Airmen strapped their peers to litters and approached the aircraft one patient at a time, listening to the shouted commands of the flight paramedics on board. They stacked patients five high on each side of the cargo bay and offloaded them afterwards, each Airman getting an opportunity to be hands-on with the training.

“It’s important that we’re all on the same page,” said Capt. Annie Fagundes, 21st Operational Medical Readiness Squadron medical technician. "Working in an emergency room and being in the military, you always have to be ready. We all have different jobs to do and if I can do someone else’s effectively even during critical times, we’ll just be that much stronger of a team.”

The training was part of the MEDIC-X curriculum, which aligns with a strategic initiative from Lt. Gen. Robert Miller, Surgeon General of the Air Force and Space Force. Miller’s priority aims to develop a high performing standardized medical force with a wide array of skills common across all medical specialties. Part of MEDIC-X is loading and offloading patients to a fixed wing aircraft, a training experience which the 34 AES was able to deliver with a C-130H provided by the 302nd Maintenance Group.

“Our medics need to know how to help one another out with various tasks that require hands on, direct patient care, and prolonged field care,” said Lt. Col. Julie Glover, 21 OMRS commander. “We are about to enter into uncontested environments that literally will require all hands on deck! By increasing our training and seeing how we all fit into the larger scope of medical care, we improve the patients’ chances on a great outcome.”