By Major Alain Miclette, Chief Medical Officer at Valcartier and Chief Medical Officer, Role 2 Medical Facility, Erbil, Iraq – Courtesy of Adsum

Six members of the 5 Field Ambulance (5 Fd Amb) are back home after a six‑month deployment as part of the Canadian Role 2 medical facility in northern Iraq in support of Operation IMPACT.

These members, including medical technicians, medical radiation technologists and physicians, were part of a multinational team of approximately 35 individuals from Canada and Germany. Four other members of 5 Fd Amb joined the Role 2 staff during the last rotation.

The Role 2 medical facility is mandated to provide medical and surgical care to save lives and serves as the Canadian Armed Forces’ contribution to the Global Coalition’s efforts to defeat Daesh and restore stability in the region. To do this, they offer emergency resuscitation, surgery, intensive care, dental care, diagnostic imaging and medical laboratory services.

Throughout the rotation, 5 Fd Amb members distinguished themselves by their professionalism and expertise. They successfully integrated into multilingual trauma teams made up of physicians, nurses and surgeons from across Canada and Germany.

Additional experience in emergency care

Having been assigned to a military emergency room, they have seen it all and have been involved in caring for and treating multiple injuries (gunshot wounds, explosion and shrapnel injuries, vehicle accidents) and illnesses (appendicitis, cardiac arrhythmias, coronary syndromes, etc.).

They had to roll up their sleeves when the Role 2 medical facility was in “disaster” mode in early October, and received several patients with multiple injuries following a serious vehicle accident. They quickly administered intravenous and intraosseous lines, placed chest tubes, performed massive blood transfusions and X-rays on stretchers in the trauma room and used mechanical ventilation. They saw it all! They are returning with invaluable emergency care experience, and they will be able to apply their new knowledge within the unit.

Throughout the mission, they successfully met the challenges, and through their efforts, they helped to save the lives of patients evacuated to Role 2, in keeping with the unit’s motto of “Protect Life!”

Bravo Zulu, and welcome back!