Army medics learn how to treat casualties of war

AS a deafening explosion ricochets off trees, five severely wounded and bloodied soldiers slump to the ground.

Two male soldiers lie face down, eerily quiet, while a woman is sobbing in pain as her severed foot lies inches from her body. Another male colleague screams for help as a fifth walks around dazed and clutching his head.

As the sound of gunfire echoes in the distance, a team carry out a risk assessment of the area and, once given the all-clear, a team medic rushes in to assess the injured.

A three-strong combat medical team then rush in. One speaks soothingly to a soldier, trying to keep him conscious, another injects morphine into an amputee trauma victim and a third calms a wounded soldier on the muddy ground.

This aims to recreate the scenario any soldier could expect in the war-torn areas of Afghanistan and other conflict-ridden areas of the world.

But this is just a training ground near Strensall Barracks, in York, an exercise to provide real-life scenarios for trainee medics as they prepare for the worst-case situations they may face once deployed for action.

The scene depicts the aftermath of a bomb explosion. The medics have not been briefed on the exercise. All are already weary – having been kept awake for more than ten hours to simulate a real 24-hour shift they would have as medics providing assistance overseas.

They ignore the screams from the female soldier and immediately one assists one of the male soldiers lying face down.

It looks cruel, to ignore the screams of those wounded, explains Captain Kira Saunders, but those who can be heard are conscious at least – the medics need to attend those who are still and silent as these are their priority.

The team of three, assisted by a team medic, then assist each wounded soldier. There are three amputees, one burns victim and a soldier with a head trauma.

The two core pieces of medical equipment for the soldiers are the celox card – ingredients of which from a shellfish – together with a tourniquet which both significantly stem bleeding.

The kit helps the medics as they provide what commanding officer Colonel Phil de-Rouffignac describes as the “platinum ten minutes” of care to ensure the casualties survive. “The guys who go to the casualty can make an awful lot of difference in just a few seconds,” he said.

Captain Leigh Kenworthy, who has served in the army for 16 years and been deployed in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia among other places, admits it is difficult to remove personal feelings while dealing with the wounded. Now as a training officer, he feels it is essential to put soldiers in the most stressful positions before they are deployed.

“It is no good for them or us if they cannot cope,” he says. “”Nothing should be a surprise once there. We want the men and women to be prepared for every possible incident. We are the 999 equivalent for the army. We don’t have the blue lights but we are the doctors, the nurses and the surgeons all rolled into one.”

Each medic call in a MIST (Mechanicals of injury, Injuries sustained, Signs and symptoms, and Treatment given) to a further medical team at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) where the casualties will undergo further treatment.

Once transported, casualties are wheeled in and out, doctors and nurses shout orders and medics transport the wounded onto an awaiting helicopter which will take the injured for further care.

To help make it as realistic as possible, North Yorkshire-based company Trauma Fx are on hand as experts in casualty simulation make-up and creators of trauma amputee effects.

Founder Linzi Foxcroft and her team help make-up casualties of a “major incident” and apply prosthetics and made-up injuries on to the volunteers and actos.

Linzi says: “The injured signify those wounded in a blast in a major incident. One volunteer, Tony, for example has suffered 20 per cent burns to his shoulder, arm and face.”

She said it has taken years of training and speaking with soldiers who have dealt with injuries like those sustained on the frontline to hone her skills and feels the service she and her team provide on training days really help prepare the medics for the sights they might account on the field.

“Our little part of this whole exercise provides the reality,” she says, surrounded by prosthetic limbs, blood bags and gory makeup.

She says her team can apply, say a gunshot wound to the chest, but need to factor in the pale skin, the drawn eyes, smoke and soot – everything to make it as realistic as possible.

Private Annabel Kavanagh finished her training last year and has since used the skills she learnt whilst on real-life action on the frontline.

She describes the training scenario as “essential” in being able to cope when faced with the real thing. She also said you felt a “sense of good when you help give that essential medical care to a wounded colleague.

“You feel you have helped keep them alive,” she said.

“It is no good for them or us if they cannot cope,” he says. “”Nothing should be a surprise once there. We want the men and women to be prepared for every possible incident. We are the 999 equivalent for the army. We don’t have the blue lights but we are the doctors, the nurses and the surgeons all rolled into one.”

Each medic calls in a MIST (Mechanicals of injury, Injuries sustained, Signs and symptoms, and Treatment given) to a further medical team at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) where the casualties will undergo further treatment.

Once transported, casualties are wheeled in and out, doctors and nurses shout orders and medics transport the wounded on to an awaiting helicopter which will take the injured for further care.

To help make it as realistic as possible, North Yorkshire-based company Trauma Fx are on hand as experts in casualty simulation make-up and creators of trauma amputee effects.

Founder Linzi Foxcroft and her team help makeup casualties of a “major incident” and apply prosthetics and made-up injuries on to the volunteers and actors.

Linzi says: “The injured signify those wounded in a blast in a major incident. One volunteer, Tony, for example has suffered 20 per cent burns to his shoulder, arm and face.”

It has taken years of training and speaking with soldiers who have dealt with injuries like those sustained on the frontline for Linzi to hone her skills. She feels the service she and her team provide on training days really helps prepare the medics for the sights they might encounter on the field.

“Our little part of this whole exercise provides the reality,” she says, surrounded by prosthetic limbs, blood bags and gory makeup.

Her team can apply, say, a gunshot wound to the chest, but need to factor in the pale skin, the drawn eyes, smoke and soot – everything to make it as realistic as possible.

Private Annabel Kavanagh finished her training last year and has since used the skills she learnt while on real-life action on the frontline.

She describes the training scenario as “essential” in being able to cope when faced with the real thing. She also said you felt a “sense of good when you give that essential medical care to a wounded colleague.

“You feel you have helped keep them alive,” she said.