Tanker Crews, Medics Adjust To New Environments

More than 50 years after it entered the Air Force, aircrews are still finding ways to increase the capabilities of the KC-135 Stratotanker. Ten reservists from the 939th Air Refueling Wing based in Portland, OR and four the 349th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, CA, demonstrated the airplane has valuable medical-evacuation capabilities, in addition to its heavy-hauling abilities.

The combined team recently practiced transporting patients with battlefield injuries during a three-day mission to Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay. The base is home to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force.

The medevac mission is just a few years old for the tanker. The Hawaiian trip demonstrated the aircraft’s flexibility to do air refueling, cargo airlift, medevac and move passengers.

The mission allowed wing Airmen to accomplish upgrade training for their aircrew positions. The squadron’s medical technicians were able to meet a requirement to train in transporting patients in the tanker.

"Aeromedical crews are required to maintain on a variety of airplanes, and the KC-135 is one of the aeromedical evacuation air platforms," said Maj. Doug Miller, 64th Air Refueling Squadron chief of mission development. "We provide the aircraft for these aeromedical evacuation missions primarily from Travis and McChord Air Force Base, Wash. because of their close proximity to Portland."

The Air Force Reserve Command units often try to maximize the taxpayer’s dollar by scheduling missions and training that can be done simultaneously.

"This was a short-notice mission," said Maj. Doug Miller, the 64th Air Refueling Squadron chief of mission development at Portland. "I called up the 349th and asked if they could support a training mission going to Hawaii on a weekend so we could meet our overseas mission training requirements."

The 349th had reservists who needed the medevac training, too. So it was a mission that made sense for both organizations.

"The aeromedical crews are really good about working with us. For them it’s more important to get the training on the specific aircraft, so they are flexible on where we go," Major Miller said.

And the major said, "When it comes down to it, the aeromedical mission is also a good match for (KC-135) training because the same reservists train together who will accomplish the real mission together."

The tanker’s boom operators accomplished their overseas-flying upgrade training, and got exposure to the aeromedical team and real passenger handling -- which requires additional safety precautions.

Two of Portland’s reservists had only practiced those skills in theory before the mission.

"We have to account for the extra people [passengers] and patients," said Master Sgt. Bruce Clemmer, the refueling squadron’s NCO in officer in charge of mission planning. "It’s a huge consideration because now we have a group of people with limited physical capability to egress [get out] of the plane. We figure out how to evacuate passengers and patients as a part of the preflight planning."

The sergeant said, "Just think about it: What if you had someone in a litter who was unconscious and in critical condition. Before the flight, we go through a specific preflight briefing with the medical crew and plan how we are going to evacuate the patients in an emergency."

For the boom operators, in particular, there is a big difference between refueling missions and a medevac for boom operators. On a refueling flight, they are only concerned with a crew of three or four and the actual refueling process, Sergeant Clemmer said.

"When you go on a medical mission, there is a medical crew in back to make sure their requirements are met as well as patients and passengers to make sure their needs are met."

The goal of aeromedical evacuation is airlifting patients anywhere at anytime. Even though the medevac crews are medics, they live in two different worlds.

"We live in the flying world and the medical world," 349th flight nurse Capt. Robert Underwood said. "We take care of patients while they are on the ground and in the air. As aircrew members, we have the same qualifications as the front-end crew. We need to know the airplane, the emergency procedures and safety features to protect ourselves and our patients.

"But then we have to have our medical knowledge of pathology and physiology to be able to take care of the patient on the ground and in the air. When we go to altitude, the body’s physiology changes. We have to train to know this as second nature, so we are able to keep our patients safe and alive."

The tanker does not have many resources, the captain said. Plus, it’s noisy, dark, experiences vibrations, is often either too cold or too hot, and runs into turbulence.

"You don’t have the same tools in the air as you do on the ground to assess your patient’s condition," Captain Underwood said. "Preflight planning is absolutely critical because once you get on that airplane, you don’t have anybody or anything except for the resources you have on that airplane to take care of those patients."

The captain said it is important to plan for every possible contingency and emergency that will allow medics to handle any kind of situation that might occur in flight.

"The 939th was outstanding," Captain Underwood said. "Having a good working relationship with the front-end crew is absolutely critical to our mission’s success."

(Aero-News salutes Master Sgt. Ruby Zarzyczny, 939th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs)

FMI: www.af.mil