Air-lift Drill Tests Awareness of Medic Staffs and Officers
On January 31, 2012 the IDF conducted an aerial evacuation drill of soldiers to test the abilities of medical squads, consisting of paramedics and physicians in emergencies. The drill emphasizes everything the recruits learned in the army until this point. The five hour plus drill was conducted by two medical staffs from the Hiram brigade and five squadrons from the Baram brigade.
13.02.12
0
More than eight people from the Hiram and Baram brigades were also needed to act as ‘injured’. The ‘injured’ first received medical care on the ground, then were air-lifted to receive additional medical care before returning to the ground. Part of the drill was also to extract the ‘injured’ from the helicopter itself.
The drill involved the mutual cooperation with the entire Galilee Air Force paramedic division.
Part of that division, Captain Odelia Borenstein was accepted into field paramedics from the Kfir infantry brigade. Upon her acceptance, she felt as if she “realized her dream”. “The officers of the field paramedic division must cope with intense responsibility and lots of pressure” explains Captain Borenstein.
Major Dianna Vinitsky Herzog also of the Galilee Division began her army career as the head of medical squadrons for during Operation Defensive Shield. Herzog was instrumental in the Haiti-Israel Delegation sent to assist those injured in the 2010 natural disaster. Lieutenant Karin Yamin started as a commander in the paramedics course and excelled rapidly and was later selected to work for the Elite Egoz Unit, but field paramedics was her “calling.” “There is no other job available where you can save the lives of civilians and soldiers on a daily basis” explains Yamin. All three officers are thoroughly pleased and proud of their current positions.
