Air National Guard Unit Headed for Chile

For two weeks beginning today, Air National Guard members from the 146th Aeromedical Squadron will be in Chile to train military and civilian disaster-relief agencies in emergency air response.

The training covers concepts of aerospace medicine, configuration of the C-130 aircraft, and emergency in-flight procedures, said Maj. Nancy Sumner, squadron disaster-preparedness officer. Participants will learn to set up the Mobile Aeromedical Staging Facility, initial patient-care and assessment, anti-hijack procedures and litter loading, she said.

“The training scenarios are very realistic,” she said.

Chile has many active volcanoes and, like California, has earthquakes. Lt. Col. Gary Chambers, the mission commander, said the training exercises help both the military and civilian disaster-relief agencies to respond in the event of disasters.

Personnel from the Channel Islands Air National Guard Station will travel to Panama, then to Santiago, Chile, aboard an HC-130 Hercules aircraft. They will return May 22.