Patriot Exercise: 188th Medical Group gets valuable experience

  • Published
  • By By Tech Sgt. Chauncey Reed
  • 188th Wing Public Affairs
CAMP DOUGLAS, Wis --  The 188th Medical Group spent a week working to further develop their ability to support domestic disaster relief at the Patriot Exercise in Camp Douglas, Wis., July 18-25, 2015. The exercise included more than 1,300 National Guard members from 33 states as well as numerous state and local public safety personnel from agencies like the Wisconsin Department of Emergency Management and the American Red Cross. 

The Patriot exercise is designed to be a realistic scenario that presents real world challenges requir Guard and civil agency members to work together in assessing situations, developing solutions and then putting them into practice.

"The big picture here is military and civilian authorities working together in a crisis or,  a natural disaster and helping the community as a team, "said Maj. Bridgette Scott, 188th Medical Group administrative officer. "This was a great opportunity not only to gain experience in our professional field, but more importantly, a chance to learn how the civilian agencies do things and how we can work together."

The 188th Bioenvironmental Engineer  team played a vital role in sight selection for the ideal location with resources to support relief such as an Expeditionary Medical Support facility to treat patients, and water purification systems to provide clean drinking water.

"The coolest aspect of this exercise was the overall realism that was put into it," said Tech Sgt. Timothy Booth, 188th Bioenvironmental non-commissioned officer in charge. "From establishing facilities to treating patients, everyone had to perform each step along the way as they would in a real world situation. Real-world patient treatment   involving all agencies, both military and civilian, was a great learning experience. It will get you ten times further than a text book or a slideshow."

In preparation for water purification, the 188th BEE team had to identify and evaluate potential water sources for long term sustainment. They evaluated where the water originates from, the volume of the water source, and how much water the source can provide without affecting its natural ability to replenish

At the 2015 Patriot Exercise the 188th MDG deployed command and control, a nursing package, and a Preventative Aerospace Medicine team. These personnel  participated in everything from setting up facilities to treatment of patients to bio-hazard response.

The entire event was concentrated to enhance the understanding of coordination between military and local, state and federal organizations to ensure the best possible response for communities in need.