Combat medic instructors and first-aiders of the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) have just completed a pre-hospital care training course, which covered combat-medicine out in the field of various military deployments and scenarios. The course was conducted at the Maritime Squadron’s Gozo base in Qortin tan-Nadur by Emergency Response and Rescue Corps (ERRC) instructor staff and European Association for EMTs and paramedics.

This course’s edition, which meets a widely adopted NATO standard, saw the AFM combat medic instructors developing rescue and evacuation techniques in combat scenarios of casualties under the duress imposed by operations and manoeuvres on the field. This training was carried out as part of the preparatory training being done under the European Union’s “Leonardo mobility program” – tactical medicine for which the ERRC is the project promoter.

Led by Surgeon Captain Matthew Psaila, the AFM personnel were able to learn through the tuition provided and the field exercises conducted, how to deal with the most severe or deadly injuries of inflicted during combat operations. This tuition covered military triage, needle chest decompression, blast and gun shot trauma, use of haemostatic injuries, medical evacuations (MEDEVACs ), chest and abdominal trauma, improvised rescue techniques, shock and use of Intravenous (IVs) aids.

The theoretical and practical sessions, which covered medical and tactical aspects, were complimented with a number of daily different simulated. These saw the participants having to deal with simulated situations which included casualty recovery whilst in combat zones, or during close quarter combat scenarios and whilst under fire.

Besides land based training, casualty recovery and handling techniques were practiced at the sea off the island of Comino. The ERRC life-saver boat and the Gozo-based AFM Bremse-class patrol-boat “P21” were deployed for this scenario.

Throughout the course, the international Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC ) 2011 ‘s standards and guidelines were used to assess the AFM personnel in their medical and tactical skills. Mr. Etiennne Micallef led the ERRC instructor team, assisted by Dr. Marco Fillipi from the European Association of EMTs and paramedics. The course instructors commended with the high level of proficiency of the AFM students.

The AFM combat medic team is expected to take up a placement in Italy later this year in June.

Photos – Emergency Response & Rescue Corps.

Permalink: AFM personnel complete combat medic training in Gozo