U.S. Army shares EM knowledge with coalition partners

Published May 7, 2008
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Tammie Moore
Medical Training Exercise in Central and Eastern Europe Public Affairs

DIVULJE TRAINING BASE, Croatia -- A team of five soldiers from the U.S. Army 353rd Civil Affairs Command (CACOM) at Fort Wadsworth, N.Y., deployed here April 30 to arm coalition military members with Emergency Management (EM) knowledge during the 2008 Medical Training Exercise in Central and Eastern Europe (MEDCEUR).

The 15-nation exercise, running from May 2 through 14, focuses on mass-casualty training scenarios and humanitarian aid in response to crises situations. MEDCEUR is a Joint Chiefs of Staff regional/multilateral exercise sponsored by U.S. European Command. Croatia is hosting the 2008 exercise which has drawn about 400 multi-nationals in support of the Partnership for Peace initiative.

The two-day EM class is one of 11 courses offered during MEDCEUR. It highlights five subjects ranging from Principles of EM to Integrated Command Systems (ICS). The classes build upon one another so when the students return home they are able to help prepare for -- and deal -- with a disaster or catastrophe.

"When an emergency happens quick decisions must be made," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jeff Cantor, 353rd CACOM civil affairs officer in charge. "The goals of EM are to save lives, prevent injuries and to protect property and the environment."

Moldovian Army Maj. Roman Targon said he signed-up for this class because he was told the instruction was great. He was very interested in learning about management and the system of order during a disaster, he said.

The first class in the series provided students with an understanding of EM fundamentals. The presentation highlights actions of the U.S. EM responders.

"We try to stress this is not necessarily the right way for everyone to apply EM, but it's how we do it," said U.S. Army Maj. Marc Alacqua, 353rd CACOM secretary of general staff. The examples are useful since many of the students are not involved in day-to-day work with natural disasters.

The diverse student body included a Ukrainian military medical professor, who sat across from a Bosnian logistics officer. The student's varying backgrounds provided an opportunity to talk about a number of situations ranging from mudslides to earthquakes they may be called upon to respond to. The diversity of circumstances responders may face was called into light since an EM team may need assistance from other nations.

Azerbaijan Army 2nd Lt. Ramil Teymurov, from the Military Medical Facility of Azerbaijan Medical University, said he signed up for the EM class to learn new things and share his experiences with other countries. In the class he talked about the well-water testing conducted every six months in his hometown. The water can support an influx of people if there is an emergency.

Teymurov said he believes this experience will lead to better interactions between countries; it is important to communicate with others to create a better future. Teymurov said he intends to pass on what he learned here when he returns home.

Student participation was high, throughout the class. They would pull an instructor to the side during breaks for extra questions or to explain how their country had dealt with a situation they faced in the past.

When the training is done and over, Cantor said, "What I hope the students take away from this class are proactive thoughts about the EM process and the ability to put together a sound plan they can take back to their countries to be utilized."