Team Kadena demonstrates capabilities during life-like exercise

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Maeson L. Elleman
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Team Kadena is participating in Beverly High 11-02, a local operational readiness exercise, this week.

During the LORE, units from across the base are presented with scenarios that test their ability to react and respond to different situations and emergencies on-base.

In one scenario Jan. 19, Kadena's firefighters, security forces and flight medicine personnel were presented with a simulated engine fire aboard an E-3 aircraft on Kadena's flight line to test their skills and capabilities. The simulation gave the various units the opportunity to train together in a presumably dangerous situation, better preparing them for real world emergencies.

"The purpose of training with all the different units is so we can establish better continuity and cohesion," said Master Sgt. Thomas Woodie, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron assistant fire chief and Exercise Evaluation Team evaluator. "I think all the units worked extremely well together. When they come out here and they see what our operation entails and the type of equipment we use, then they're better equipped to know when they call in an emergency, what type of information we need to put us at the best level of response."

The exercise simulated an engine fire on the aircraft that injured numerous people onboard, forcing the responding units to perform on-scene actions to treat the wounded victims.

While some of the victims received fake cuts and bruises, others screamed in terror from imitated dismemberment and impaled objects. The rescue personnel had to treat each victim according to the severity of their injuries, giving them a real-life look into the emergencies they could possibly face in the future.

"The casualties were pretty good," said Sergeant Woodie. "They gave my firefighters a realistic view of how people would actually act in an aircraft emergency, so they had to use all of their capabilities to calm the patients down, get them to triage and actually find out what was wrong with the patient. It was a very good exercise in patient triage."

Sergeant Woodie said due to mission constraints, it's difficult to get days to train aboard aircraft. However, thanks to the LORE's simulation, the units were able to better train in a more hands-on environment.

"I think the most important thing that the troops got out of the training was that they were actually able to go onto the E-3 and perform rescue [operations]," he added.

This is just one of many scenarios testing Team Kadena's operational readiness during the LORE, which is scheduled to run through the end of the week.

"[People] shouldn't be looking at it like an exercise," Sergeant Woodie said. "They should be looking at it as a practice to the real mission that we support every day in the Air Force. I think it's a good opportunity to hone our combat skills, but it's only as good of an opportunity as we apply ourselves. We've got to take full advantage of the LORE this week and actually hone our skills."