An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 13 a number of practical scenarios based on what we were most likely to encounter during our tour in West Africa. So D-Day finally arrived and we set off on the first leg of a very long journey with a UK medical contingent also travelling to the mission area. From Heathrow airport we flew to Cassablanca, Morocco, where the Air Morocco aircraft re-fueled before we headed on to Freetown in Sierra Leon. Having previously served in Liberia and Chad, I got that fa- miliar odour of Africa as soon as we stepped onto the tarmac. In the terminal we had to go through security clearance, but not before washing our hands and having our temperatures checked a number of times; this was a sign of things to come as it was one of the preventive measures that were required no matter where you went in the country to help prevent the spread of the disease. Next stop was International Security Advisory Team (ISAT) HQ, where we had to attend RSOI briefs that basically mir- rored those we had received in the UK. Nevertheless, they had to be completed again just to be sure it was embedded into our brains at this stage and to ensure none of us were to become complacent, as all it would take is one mistake to potentially put our colleagues or ourselves at risk of contract- ing Ebola. At this stage our four-man team sent was split into two differ- ent camps. Pte Brennan and Armn Walsh have remained at ISAT HQ where there is a Role 1 & 2 medical facility for UK/Canadian/ Irish troops and NGO staff to be treated should they need it. Capt Kelly and I were transported to Benguema Camp, some 60 minutes away, which is occupied by UK and Canadian mili- tary personnel, with us being the only other nationality in the camp. Our role is to attend to the medical needs of personnel employed in Benguema Camp and those working in the Red Zone at the Kerrytown Treatment Unit (KTTU). We are on call 24/7 for any medical emergencies in camp and we also run a sick parade in the Role 1 facility three times a day 0800hrs, 1400hrs and 2000hrs. As the practice manager for the Role 1 in Benguema Camp, I'm responsible for maintaining sufficient amounts of stock, such as dressings, medications, IV fluids, medical Bergens, and any additional medical equipment we may require. We also provide medical lessons for security personnel who are on down time or off shift in the camp. In addition to this we have responded to road traffic incidents involving aid workers and to a wide range of incidents in the KTTU, such as heat exhaustion, chlorine exposure/inhalation injuries to Red Zone workers, which can lead to a number of complications if not treated quickly. In summary this is an enjoyable mission and possibly the busiest I have been deployed on to date. So far it's been an excellent experience and the nature of the mission means that the medical component is to the forefront. The personnel on the mission includes highly trained specialists in medicine, nursing, pre-hospital trained experts, environmental health care, infection control, logisticians and other healthcare roles, all of whom are providing the exper- tise for us to assist in the fight to get Ebola down to zero, which is, after all, why we have been deployed to Sierra Leone. Sgt Moules examines a patient in the Role 1 medical facility Role 1 staff for both ISAT and Benguema camps (L/R): Capt Eugene O'Connor (GDMO), Col Peter F Mahoney OBE (Prof Anaesthetics), Lt Cdr Leigh Nickerson (GP) and Capt Patrick Kelly (GP) Pictured is all Gritrock 3 Role 1 staff for both ISAT and Benguema camps Capt Kelly monitors a patient Pte Brennan and Armn Walsh (backs to camera) are involved in receiving a casualty for onward transmission to Role 2 hospital

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