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Yokosuka First Responders Participate in Bilateral Mass Casualty Drill

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS071120-11
Release Date: 11/20/2007 4:03:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew R. White, Fleet Public Affairs Center Det., Japan

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- The U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Yokosuka, the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF) Hospital, and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Medical Service Unit held a bilateral mass casualty exercise at Azumajima Island, Japan on Nov. 16.

The exercise brought medical teams together to respond to a simulated moderate-sized earthquake. The exercise scenario involved fuel spills and fires, causing many injuries to Japanese and American personnel.

The USNH Yokosuka special medical operations response team (SMORT) used the exercise to gain valuable experience responding to emergencies, and increasing the interoperability with the JSDF and JMSDF.

"Triage is pretty much the same globally," said Lt. Cmdr. Andrea Hiles, a SMORT team nurse. "You find that even without the interpreters you can communicate."

Body language replaced words as Japanese and American caregivers pointed and gestured to let patients know that the doctors and nurses were there to help them.

The SMORT team's mission, during the mass casualty exercise, was to set up triage, categorize injuries, and treat the wounded before evacuating them to a definitive care hospital. Depending on the severity of an injury, victims were treated via a color-coded categorization system.

"Red is for casualties that need treatment right away, and evacuation as soon as possible," said Lt. Elmer Jimenez, SMORT team leader. "Yellow is for delayed treatment and evacuation, while green is for the walking wounded."

Those labeled with the color black were expected to or already expired.

"The idea in triage is to use your resources for people who you think are going to make it, don't waste your resources on someone with a catastrophic head injury," said Hiles. "Now you can't take care of others who could make it. Provide the most care with the least amount of resources."

Hiles said this exercise was important in helping people think critically on their feet.

"What is a bad injury? What are those things we haven't been thinking about," she said.

She also commented that exercises like this help hospital corpsmen see what a mass casualty incident might look like.

"If you can see the injury you have an idea of how bad a burn really looks," Hiles said.

She added that these training opportunities not only help the U.S. Navy work with JSDF medical personnel, but also offers valuable training that Sailors can take with them when they move on to there next duty station; whether it be another hospital, a ship, or possibly Iraq.