LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZ. — The 56th Medical Group conducted exercise Ready Eagle II to train and practice skills relevant to a mass casualty situation, Feb. 15, 2024, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.

Ready Eagle II is a three-day long program that progresses from classroom work to tabletop exercises before concluding with a capstone simulated mass casualty event. For the final evaluation, a simulated gas-leak resulted in multiple injuries and exposure to hazardous chemicals, challenging Airmen’s ability to respond to the threat, perform decontamination and triage patients.

“Events like these contribute to preparedness,” stated 1st Lt. Robert Tolchiner, 56th Medical Group flight commander of medical readiness and medical emergency manager. “The exercise intended to test the proficiency of the Airmen to ensure that they are capable of responding to any emergency that can occur, at any time.”

The Airmen were able to practice their Tactical Combat Casualty Care, the decontamination process, and their medical contingency response plan in a high-tempo situation. Practicing these skills help prepare the 56th MDG for unanticipated incidents and build confidence for real world incidents.

Airmen from the 56th MDG participated alongside Airmen from outside organizations that performed as moulage patients, referred to as “actors”.

The exercise created a realistic learning environment for everyone that participated, increasing combat-readiness for multi-capable Airmen.

“Not all of the individuals in the MDG are nurses or doctors, many of them do administrative work,” explained Tolchiner. “Exercises like this one contribute to creating multi-capable Airmen who, from your doctors all the way your administrators, are able to execute life-saving care at home and down-range.”