Biomedical maintainers ensure combat medical success

Published Jan. 16, 2008
By Senior Airman Terri Barriere
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- The Air Force Theater Hospital is the hub for en-route patient care, and the Tuskegee medics ensure proper preparation of patients prior to air evacuation from the theater of operations. For the hospital to succeed in its mission of saving lives, Airmen of the 332nd Medical Support Squadron Biomedical Maintenance Flight work behind the scenes to keep the facility's equipment up and running.

"In a nutshell, we maintain all medical equipment and facilities, said Staff Sgt. Brian Cummings, a 332nd MDSS biomedical equipment technician, deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va.

When equipment is brought in for maintenance it's prioritized according to mission impact.

"If a defibrillator is broke, we've got to get that working right away," said Sergeant Cummings. "If someone was to have a heart attack they'd have to go get a defibrillator from another area, and that's precious time that could cost someone their life."

According to Sergeant Cummings, the evolution of technology in contemporary medicine has increased the need for BMET technicians.

"Modern patient care revolves around not just the skill of the doctor, but technology as well," he said. "When the equipment is running correctly, it allows the doc to do their job to the best of their ability, and with the most accurate diagnostic equipment at the doc's disposal, the patients have a better chance at survival and recovery."

When things are running smoothly around the facility and nothing is broken, the BMET technicians use the time to perform routine preventative maintenance on all the equipment.

"When we do our routine maintenance we look for things that will help prolong the life of the equipment and keep it running as well as possible," said Sergeant Cummings.

They also provide the medics with training on how to properly use new equipment to prevent user error.

Staff Sgt. Mathew Kurian, a BMET technician, deployed from Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, said that even though they work behind the scenes the work they do is rewarding. "It's really nice when you see the equipment you work on used to save a patient's life," he said.

As with any mission operating in a remote location, luxuries afforded BMET technicians at home station aren't always available here, forcing the technicians to become more resourceful and diverse in skill knowledge, said Staff Sgt. Orlando Ortega, a BMET craftsman deployed from Barksdale AFB, La.

"Stateside, we don't handle the all facility work orders, such as plumbing and electrical issues," said the sergeant. "Also, stateside, manufactures can come in and do the work on their broken equipment. Here, everyone depends on us. If we can't fix it, it has to be sent to the company, which completely takes the unit out of service for several weeks."

Although the facility has replacements for most items, there are some that if had to be pulled, would directly impact patient care.

With technology constantly evolving, the technicians agree it's hard to know everything about every piece of equipment all the time.

"Equipment changes almost everyday. It's not realistic to think you can learn everything about every piece of equipment," said Sergeant Ortega. "Our technical school helps prepare us by giving us the foundation and framework -- the basics. We fill in the gaps as we go and sort of teach ourselves by using the literature and skills picked up along the way from co-workers."

BMET technicians consider themselves to be "Jacks of all trades."

"Plumbers work on pipes, carpenters work with wood, but we can work on everything in the hospital, we're not limited to one field," said Sergeant Cummings. "When you work on medical equipment you have to know how to fix everything, and we do, because there's no telling what you're going to see."

Medical maintainers