W.Va. National Guard Army Medics Complete Annual Training

The West Virginia National Guard’s Medical Detachment conducted their annual recertification for army medics today at the Center for National Readiness Memorial Tunnel.

Thirty-two medics, four of them women, participated in the training. In addition to a written test, the medics were required to complete seven training exercises, which varied from attending to victims of a car crash to evacuating soldiers from combat.

The scenarios were conducted in the CNR Memorial Tunnel halfway between Charleston and Beckley on the West Virginia Turnpike. Training activities increased in intensity the farther into the tunnel the medics traveled and were designed to simulate the range of situations an army medic might expect to encounter in either a domestic or foreign crisis.

Credit Kara Lofton / West Virginia Public Broadcasting

/

West Virginia Public Broadcasting

  “We try to stimulate all their senses, they are challenged mentally and physically as you saw today,” said Major John Snedegar, the official in charge of today’s training. “We try to provide as realistic a training as possible because that makes them better prepared to deal with real world emergencies.”

National Guard medics participate in the training once a year. The medics from the military program are certified national emergency medical technicians that, if they choose, can also work for civilian emergency services.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.