81st MDG conducts decontamination training

Published Sept. 26, 2012
By Steve Pivnick
81st Medical Group Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Forty-five "Dragon Medics" donned protective suits Sept. 14 to practice patient decontamination drills as the 81st Medical Group continued fine-tuning all aspects of medical care for two upcoming major inspections: The Air Force Inspection Agency Health Service Inspection scheduled for Oct. 23-25 and the Oct. 29 through Nov. 5 Air Education Training Command Consolidated Unit Inspection. They were joined by two aerospace medical apprentice phase II course students who acted as ambulatory patients.

The team trained with the Air Force in-place patient decontamination system designed to provide a rapid response to care for patients contaminated with chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or other toxic industrial materials.

Tom Bocek, owner of DECON LLC, volunteered to train and evaluate the Keesler medics. Bocek retired from the Air Force 10 years ago. While still on active duty, he wrote the IPPD concept of operations and designed the medical decontamination equipment packages currently used by all Air Force medical personnel worldwide. The firm trains all medical decon teams for the Department of Defense.

Bocek explained he offers free training to all decon teams in the Biloxi area because "It's my way of giving back to my community. One day I could be your patient, and I want to make sure our decon teams are ready for the worst."

The Keesler team trained from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. to learn the most effective and efficient ways to operate the decontamination equipment and save the lives of contaminated casualties.

Bocek said the training is very physical, essentially practicing to assemble a tractor-trailer load of equipment as a team in just a few minutes. "And if that wasn't enough, students had to set up and operate the equipment while wearing hot, cumbersome protective gear. The Keesler medics were required to have the equipment up and mission-capable in 15 minutes, but they 'smoked'" the requirement and were mission-capable in just eight minutes! Students said they learned a lot in one day.

"My company normally teaches a three-day class, but we tried to squeeze all that information into a single day. It was like being force-fed information by a fire hose, but the students said they felt ready to protect themselves and save lives if a real event happens."

Bocek singled out team chief Tech. Sgt. William Kiddy, 81st MDG Education and Training Flight, for his effort preparing for the training. Bocek also presented Master Sgt. Brian Johns, 81st Surgical Operations Squadron, a DECON LLC Outstanding Student Leadership Coin.

"It's nice to know such motivated and dedicated medics stand ready to protect our personnel and our nation," Bocek said.