DRASH Supports JTF CAPMED During Capital Shield

FOR NEARLY THREE YEARS, JOINT TASK FORCE NATIONAL CAPITAL Regional Medical, also known as JTF CAPMED, has been responsible for the proper delivery of military healthcare in the nation’s capital. And every year the Joint Task Force has put their skills to the test during Capital Shield – a three-day joint training exercise involving the Department of Defense (DoD) and other government and civilian agencies in and near the National Capital Region.

Organized by Joint Force Headquarters – National Capital Region (JFHQ-NCR), Capital Shield is an annual training event designed to test joint operations and communication between the DOD and other agencies, and prepare responders to work together in the event of an actual disaster.

“The event is an opportunity for organizations within the Department of Defense, as well as other federal agencies and local municipalities from around the area to come together and train for emergency response,” explains DHS Technologies’ Business

Development Representative Jeff Lindstrom, who was on hand during the training. “Considering the current threats our country is faced with, the exercise could not be more relevant.”

Responders were faced with various scenarios that required search and rescue, debris removal and mass casualty evacuations during 2009’s exercise, which was held in Lorton, Virginia on October 13-15. One scenario involved a fictitious parking garage collapse at the Pentagon City Mall during a terrorist attack on the United States.

Members of Joint Task Force National Capital Regional Medical set up a 442 square foot DRASH TMSS Medium System as a medical aid station. Once inside, personnel were able to treat patients removed from the site of the collapse.

“Using life-like mannequins, Advanced Trauma Life Saving (ATLS) teams had to perform lifesaving measures or risk the loss of the patient,” says Lindstrom. “The DRASH TMSS Medium provided the solution for these teams to demonstrate their skills as they were evaluated by Observer teams.”

More than 20 different agencies participated in 2009 Capital Shield.