Page 41 - RADC Bulletin 2022

Exercise Winged Serpent/
Underwater Escape Training
LCpl Katie Squire – 16 Medical Regiment
This was a week-long validation Exercise for 16 Med Regt 23 Sqn to take over Air Manoeuvre Group 1 (AMMG1) which includes being aligned to Op VENTUS. Op VENTUS is a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) operation in case of hurricane strikes in the Caribbean from August to November.
We Deployed to STANTA training area in Norfolk on the 4 July 2022. Dental Officer Capt Fear and I deployed as part of 23 SQN’s Medical Reception Station (MRS) within a FOB, utilising the existing infrastructure available. The first test was to be at Full Operational Capability (FOC) within the required timelines, which we achieved.
Within this building each department within the MRS had their own room to treat casualties and any patients. Any casualties/ patients bought to the MRS would be triaged at the front desk, then there was
a bedding down facility and a prehospital treatment team (PHTT) which consists of a team of CMTs, a nurse, SMO and a GDMO. Moving through the flow of the MRS you found a mental health nurse, physio and the dental team. We also had a role 2 tented facility close by with consultants, nurses, ODPs and radiographers.
The site selected for the dental facility was a good enough size to establish our clean to dirty zones, a safe x-ray zone and
a sterilisation area. Within this set up, even with the constraints of the field environment I stayed as IPC compliant as possible by using plastic sheeting that was wipeable over the tables, my consumables were kept in the poms pouch hung up away from the dirty zone but was still easily accessible.
Consideration had to be taken of where the placement of the x-ray equipment
would be, ensuring that there would be no radiation exposure to people passing the building within the 2-metre exclusion zone. Dental had one scenario for validation which was a patient that had been bought to the
MRS front desk with a dental abscess. We notionally treated the patient as we would
in a real-life situation in the field. To be validated we had Maj Blyth and LCpl Rose come into the field and assess how we
had set up and dealt with the patient in the deployed environment. With all the modules available (and working!) from the deployable kit, we can treat a wide variety of patients including pericoronitis, lost cons, RCT, dental trauma and lost crowns and bridges.
As part of the MRS, the dental team also helped in a mass casualty situation. The scenario for this was burns victims. My part in this was to use an app called Mersey Burns to colour on a figure which parts of the casualty were burnt to give a percentage of the body affected by burns. This was the first Exercise as a Med Regt Dental Nurse, so I wasn’t sure on what to expect, but I found it a very enjoyable week and gave
me a good insight on what to expect being part of 16X. This was also a good way to get integrated within Regimental life and get to know everyone in the MRS department.
Underwater Escape training
(DUNKER/ UET)
After a conversation with my Dental Officer Capt Fear, he casually told me our names had been put down to take part in the underwater escape training course, known as the ‘basic dunker’ to prepare us for readiness for Op VENTUS. This course was held at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset, I had mixed emotions for this as I had heard of the course before, but I knew it would be a good experience and something very different for a Dental Nurse to complete.
The UET took a day which started with being issued flying overalls, wetsuit boots and a hard hat. We were briefed from the instructor that would accompany us in the mock helicopter module which was a wildcat mock-up.
The brief consisted of how to adopt the brace position in a helicopter if it was about to be ditched, how to put on and take off the harness and how to adopt the orientation position. The instructor talked through how to escape during the drills we would have to undertake to gain the 5-year competency.
Then it was time to head pool side to take part in the practical drills. This was when the nerves started. I’m a strong swimmer but the thought of holding my breath underwater
for 5 seconds while keeping my eyes open, having to push open a window to escape through whilst taking off the harness all
sounded dauting. But knowing there were safety divers down with us made it more reassuring.
The first of four drills would be to escape from the module window underwater upright in daylight, the module was lowered “BRACE BRACE BRACE” was called, “ORIENTATE” was the next command. It was then time for the breath hold, open the window, unclip
the harness and push out the seat and out the window. It was over quickly and wasn’t as daunting as I had imagined, this drill was simple and enjoyable. The second drill was to then escape from the module window whilst the module rolled and turned upside down in daylight, again this was over quickly and was fun to escape from upside down.
However, the third drill was rolled and turned upside down but this time it was in a twilight setting where the lights in the pool were dimmed. I found this one tricky as I became disorientated as we were upside down and not much light but managed to escape! The final drill was to escape from being rolled upside down but in complete darkness, helpfully the windows had already been taken off for this drill. It sounded easy to not have to worry about pushing the window, but it was still difficult even with gaining confidence on each drill.
The darkness just disorientates you but keeping calm and confident was key. It was always a sigh of relief when you touched the side of the pool before entering the module again for each drill, but the adrenaline rush made it so fun.
I found this course a very good experience and loved being able to get the opportunity to do something outside a clinical setting that wouldn’t be normal in DPHC.
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