WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The 445th Maintenance Squadron participated in a confined space rescue exercise alongside the 88th Air Base Wing and 445th Airlift Wing safety personnel Sept. 15.
The training was part of the unit’s annual requirement for organizational rescue team training.
“When you practice this stuff, you are building that muscle memory for when it actually happens,” said Senior Airman David Asterino, 445th MXS fuels system specialist.
“It’s just like anything else, when you get excited or elevated, you are going to fall down to your level of training,” added Asterino, who also played the attendant for the exercise. “So, the more you practice; the better off you are.”
After a brief conversation with the 445th Safety Office, the exercise scenario began with “Mr. Mannequin” being reported as unresponsive in an underfloor maintenance tunnel of a C-17 Globemaster III.
The runner, played by Staff Sgt. Ryan Collier, 445th MXS fuels system specialist, then made a radio call to notify other shop personnel, procured the automated external defibrillator and assisted the attendant.
“When you are freaking out when something like this actually happens, you won’t have to second guess, ‘Who do I call?’,” explained Collier, who has been at the unit for eight years and has run the training before. “Like Asterino said, that muscle memory from training kicks in, and you can make it through safely.”
The attendant entered the confined space once relieved of his duties by the runner, donned a new respirator on the mannequin and began removing it from the space.
The hangar door was then opened by the entry supervisor, who was also in charge of guiding the fire department to the scene.
The MXS Airmen going through the training used the AED and CPR to revive the “victim” and put it in a recovery position. After “Mr. Mannequin” was revived, the exercise ended.
“We do all of our paperwork, every single time, every single day, so that nothing changes with our procedures,” Asterino said. “We have a good steady state so that when things happen our people know what to do.”