An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir July/August 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie 12 | by SGT MARTIN MOULES (2 MED DET, SIERRA LEONE) I first learned of Medical Corps personnel deploying to Ebola-affected countries on the morning of last year's Christmas break-up as we sat in the tea room preparing Irish coffees and awaiting the arrival of GOC DFTC, who was to address us. I spoke with one of my CMU colleagues who told me he was finishing off his vaccinations that day before heading to the UK in early January for an all-ranks brief prior to travelling to Sierra Leone to assist in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus. I immediately started to check the statistics and investigated the matter a little bit more, as my only knowledge of Ebola at the time was what had been on the news. When I learned the job description for our personnel's mission, I became interested in replacing CMU's 1 Medical Detachment once they had complete their tour. Once the Christmas and New Year's celebrations were over, I informed my wife and other family members of my intentions of travelling to Sierra Leone. Their immediate reaction to this was one of great concern, which I totally understood and expected as they had seen West African countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea in the news for all the wrong reasons and had seen the number of Ebola cases increasing. However, after a couple of days of their own research they came to terms with it, and once I explained the nature of the mission, and the preventative measures that we would be imposing, they understood my desire to travel with 2 Medical Detachment. Once selected for deployment in early March, Capt Kelly (MO CMU-DFTC Detachment) and I immediately drafted a train- ing plan for the detachment based on what would best suit our needs in the UK and Sierra Leone. We decided that all four personnel deploying, Pte Brennan (CMU 2Bde), Armn Walsh (504 Sqn, Air Corps) and Capt Kelly and me from CMU DFTC, would undergo clinical placements on HSE ambulances in order to gain sufficient patient contacts; attend PPE training days in Beaumont hospital specifically preparing us how to react if and when we come in contact with Ebola-infected patients; and undergo a tactical emergency medical orderly (TEMO) course in the Medical School, which was conducted by Lt Col Paul Hickey (OC Med School) and Coy Sgt Dave O'Connor (CMU 2 Bde). Once we completed this training it was time to pack the bags and make the short journey to the UK via ferry to undergo a three-day brief in Chillwell Bks, Nottingham, to familiarise us with the 'dos and don'ts' and what was expected of us once we deployed. We then travelled to Normandy Bks, home of 22 Field Hospital, in Aldershot, where we were put through our paces in 12 | Irish and British medical personnel carry a casualty to the HLZ

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