99th Medical Group ready to combat 'slime' Published Oct. 30, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Jacob R. McCarthy Nellis AFB Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- ALARM RED, MOPP 4! ALARM RED, MOPP 4! - Training how to react to chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear and explosive attacks is an ongoing process for all Airmen no matter where they're assigned. For Airmen of the 99th Medical Group, being able to respond to a CBRNE attack is critical to saving lives and preventing further contamination. More than 20 99th MDG Airmen participated in In-Place Patient Decontamination Capability training at the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital here, Oct. 23 -25. The training is specifically designed to spin-up medical personnel to accomplish a two-part task: protect the hospital from contaminated patients in the event of a CBRNE attack and decontaminate those same patients who pose a threat to the facility. "Regular and realistic training ensures our team of decontamination specialists maintains its peak abilities to provide swift and sure post-attack or hazmat incident treatment to patients exposed to some of the most dangerous substances known to man," said Master Sgt. Gary Warkentin, a health services manager with the 99th Medical Operations Squadron. On any given day, the hospital has almost 1,000 patients within the facility. It's the job of the IPPDC teams to protect them from any exterior contamination threats and keep the facility operational despite any attacks. Nellis has a planned contingency response to decontaminate patients with two 12-person teams who can treat 100 Airmen over a four- to six-hour period at up to four patients at a time, spending anywhere from five to 15 minutes treating each patient depending on the severity of their condition. "These patients must be decontaminated through the IPPDC before entry into the medical facility, both for their own well being as well as to prevent providers within the military treatment facility from inadvertent cross-contamination from the substance the patients have been exposed to," Sergeant Warkentin explained. "Without an IPPDC, those exposed to incapacitating, deadly, virulent material and seeking medical help may not live long enough to receive the treatment they so badly need," said Sergeant Warkentin. "Also, the health care providers offering these patients their lifesaving services would be placing themselves in danger of falling victim to the same substances that incapacitated their patients." Furthermore, without these specialized capabilities in place, in the event of CBRNE attack, the hospital would be put on lock down, forcing many patients to find treatment at off-base facilities, ultimately overwhelming the local hospital system, said Tech. Sgt. Lloyd Davis, the 99th Medical Support Squadron resource management noncommissioned officer in charge. "Our IPPDC is key to the success of our medical service response in the face of a CBRNE, weapons of mass destruction or serious hazmat incident," Sergeant Warkentin added. There are more than 70 IPPDC's throughout the Air Force.
