OKINAWA, Japan – U.S. military and local and national Japanese emergency response services conducted a bilateral field training exercise, where for the first time Japanese emergency response helicopters performed patient transports to U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa April 27.

The exercise was part of an emergency preparedness exercise conducted between the U.S. military and Japanese emergency response services held to deepen U.S.-Japan mutual understanding and cooperation, said Charles Bush, the emergency management officer, U.S. Fleet Activities, Okinawa. Exercises such as this are directed under the U.S. Forces Japan Instruction 1-200 and the U.S./government of Japan guidelines.

This year’s exercise scenario utilized Torii Station and Camp Lester to simulate a U.S. Navy helicopter crash off the coast of Zanpa Park, Bush said. U.S. and Japanese “witnesses” called emergency numbers to report a helicopter crash, and Japanese fire, police and Coast Guard first responders were quickly dispatched, followed by U.S. military first responders.

“A key objective for the FTX was for units to form a bilateral Incident Command Post to address the many challenges,” said Bush.

Role players presented challenges for the responders, including unconscious crew members in the water, a deceased pilot, a seriously injured co-pilot, injured U.S. and Japanese pedestrians and passengers and a pallet of hydraulic fluid leaking into the ocean, Bush said.

U.S. Navy and Japanese emergency response teams transported a simulated casualty in a Japanese air ambulance, Chubu Hospital’s “Doctor Heli,” to be rushed into U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa for medical care.

The event also included similar operations by Japan Coast Guard and U.S. Air Force search and rescue helicopters that also performed patient transport to USNH Okinawa.

“A significant first was incorporating U.S. and Japanese medevac and search and rescue assets to pull three injured personnel from the ocean and fly them to the U.S. Naval Hospital [landing zone],” said Bush.

There were many moving parts involved in this exercise, said Mike Liem, the emergency manager at USNH Okinawa. The objective of hospital personnel was to receive the injured patients, transport them into the triage unit and treat them with appropriate medical care.

USNH Okinawa emergency personnel helped the Japanese ERTs off-load injured personnel from the helicopter for movement into the triage, assess the patients’ condition and carry out treatment.

“It was a big deal for the hospital,” said Liem. “This was the first time Japanese interns were used to communicate between the Japanese ERTs and hospital personnel. We don’t get many opportunities like this.”