SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – -- Airmen assigned to the 52nd Medical Group at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, participated in the multinational exercise Saber Guardian 21 at Baumholder, Germany, May 24 to June 4.
The 52nd Medical Group sent a 10-bed En-Route Patient Staging System (EPPRS) team that included 13 medical personnel along with two Medical Logistics technicians and one Biomedical Equipment technician to assist with receiving cargo and equipment set-up.
“Our team provides a critical Aeromedical Evacuation capability to the Area of Responsibility (AOR),” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Cathy Chavez, 52nd MDG ERPSS team chief. “Through this exercise, our unit has the opportunity to execute AE operations in a joint environment. For the Airmen involved, this is something that not all members of their respective career fields get the chance to experience.”
The ERPSS team worked directly with U.S. Army medical counterparts from the 30th Medical Brigade out of Sembach, Germany and also with Airmen assigned to the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron out of Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The team’s primary mission during the exercise was to provide rapid response en-route patient staging for Aeromedical Evacuation in support of contingency operations.
“Exercises such as this enable the units involved to validate mission essential tasks in support of both the 52nd Fighter Wing and the AOR,” said U.S. Air Force 2Lt Darryl Scarver, 52nd Medical Readiness flight commander. “This is an opportunity to provide us a platform to display that we are ready to answer the call when needed.”
Scarver also said that the team played a crucial role in supporting the exercise’s overarching objective of validating the theater-wide concept of medical support from point of injury through definitive care.