Saber Nation to conduct medical exercise Oct. 16 Published Oct. 4, 2013 By Senior Airman Joe W. McFadden 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The 52nd Public Health Emergency Office will leverage a medical exercise Oct. 16 to demonstrate the wing's capability to service the base population in the event of a disease threat or outbreak as efficiently as possible. The intent of the Public Health Emergency Working Group is to demonstrate the ability to execute a full scale point of distribution while simultaneously issuing real-world flu vaccinations to the active-duty and dependent or beneficiary civilian populations. "The primary objective of this exercise is to make sure we are ready to respond to a disease outbreak, specifically one that may result in a public health emergency," said Lt. Col. Daniel Murray, commander of the 52nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron. "We need to be able to make sure we can distribute medications and vaccinate virtually everyone on base in a relatively short period of time." Each active-duty service members' Individual Medical Readiness flu vaccination will be updated as a result of the exercise. Additionally, dependents and other beneficiaries will have a behind-the-scenes insight while receiving either the nasal mist or shot, depending upon their medical needs. Murray emphasized there is no public health emergency requiring personnel to get a flu vaccination. Instead, the directed exercise is a chance for people to receive theirs while viewing and participating in this exercise process. "Should this type of scenario ever happen, we want to make sure we're prepared to keep everyone safe, and this is the way to prove that," Murray said. As with most base exercises, the scenario will feature simulated tests known as injects given out by inspectors who critique a selected individual's response. For example, a role player may display signs of illness that a technician must be able to diagnose, according to their regulations. Civilians along the processing line can view these inspections while gaining an expectation in what would really happen in a real-world situation. "We're providing an opportunity for our civilians to participate in our exercise and see this from the inside-out as they go through and get their vaccination," Murray said. "In doing so, they'll help us achieve our goal to quickly and efficiently vaccinate as many people as we can." Exercise activity is not limited to medical personnel. Nearly all of the 52nd Fighter Wing's agencies like security forces, civil engineering, logistics, safety, public affairs, legal and finance will send representatives to be graded for their ability to respond and level of effectiveness in the same scenario. No matter the challenge, the exercise's underlying goal is for Saber Nation to perfect their diagnosing and responding skills should any contingency occur, Murray said. "This is an exciting opportunity and will show the capabilities the Saber medical group has to execute something very complex but absolutely essential for keeping our population safe during a contingency such as this," he said. "And I'm looking forward to demonstrating how quickly and how well we can do it." For more information about the exercise or to become involved, contact the base clinic at 452-8333 or keep checking back with the Spangdahlem Air Base website or Facebook page for future updates.