Airborne Assault MuseumBritish and French medics have parachuted in to test new ways to provide lifesaving medical care together on a major exercise in France.
16 Medical Regiment (16 Med Regt) and 7e Antenne Chirurgicale Parachutiste (7e ACP, 7th Parachute Surgical Unit) took part in Exercise Orion in France. The manoeuvres brought together British and French airborne forces to practise responding to international crises.
The medics worked together to provide a medical system giving life-saving treatment to simulated casualties, providing care all the way from the point of wounding to a surgical operating table.
Major Dave Ferraby, of 16 Med Regt, worked in the joint force’s headquarters to co-ordinate British and French medical units.
He said: “Our medics have functioned side-by-side, to ensure the right medical care is in the right place and at the right time.
“We have had to overcome language barriers, but we’re also brought together by the shared language of medicine. A key achievement has been developing robust communication procedures for the handover and takeover of patients.
“What we have done together demonstrates a joint medical capability that is ready to be delivered by parachute – medics and their equipment - anywhere in the world to provide lifesaving treatment.”
Closer to the frontline
16 Med Regt and 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) trialled doctor- and nurse-led Combat Aid Posts (CAP) as the first specialist medics to treat a battlefield casualty. Normally, an infantry company has just one Combat Medical Technician (CMT), with CAPs bringing a higher level of care closer to the frontline. A CAP parachuted into the St Cyr-Coëtquidan training area.
Captain Hamish McLay, a doctor, worked with two CMTs to support A Company, 2 PARA.
He said: “The modern battlefield is dominated by drones, electronic warfare and air defence. We can no longer rely on getting casualties quickly to a field hospital by helicopter as we did in Afghanistan. The idea of CAPs is to deliver the same level of care within the same timelines by pushing medical capability forward.
“We provide damage control resuscitation and prepare casualties for evacuation. As a doctor, it’s good to be there to deliver care to soldiers when and where they need it.”
From field treatment to surgery
After initial treatment, a casualty then moved off the frontline to a Pre-Hospital Treatment Facility, which was set up in a derelict building. It can treat minor injuries or stabilise more serious patients until they can be moved for further care.
Corporal Megan Martin, a nurse, said: “During the exercise we have received British and French casualties with everything from routine health problems to gunshot wounds and limbs lost in explosions. As the clinical lead it’s my job to evaluate and plan the treatment a casualty needs. I’m deciding whether we can treat them and get them back in the fight quickly, or if their care needs to be escalated.
“It’s been interesting to work with French medics and learn about the different equipment and procedures they use, and how we can co-operate to give the best care to casualties.”
The last step in the chain was 7e ACP's surgical unit. For the first time in an exercise, the French medics parachuted in with all their tents, equipment and supplies to set up the facility.
“We can do everything from looking after serious burns patients to thoracic, orthopaedic, and brain surgery,” said Colonel Michel, 7e ACP’s commanding officer.
“We have received British casualties requiring surgery, some delivered by British medics and others we have evacuated. The details about the injury and the treatment they’ve had is presented the same as if it was a French casualty treated by French medics.
“It is the unit’s first time working with British medics and our ability to operate together has been seamless.”
Exercise Orion brought together 2,000 soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade and France's 11e Brigade Parachutiste to train to conduct defensive operations. As the Airborne Combined Joint Force (A-CJF), the two brigades have been trained and ready to deploy together in response to global crises since 2013.
