Stat Med fleet and teams provide medical services as Balikatan exercises kick off in the Philippines. Stat Med has stand-by ambulances, response teams and key equipment prescribed by the U.S. military for each deployment site.

Balikatan 2017 simulates how the Philippine and US militaries will jointly respond to the aftermath of a super typhoon in country. This year’s set of exercises is different from last year’s war games.

Stat Med’s ambulance services and medical manpower provided support in key sites across the country: Basco, Batanes; Casiguran, Aurora; Camp Carreon, Panay; and, Ternate, Cavite.

U.S military showcased response assets in joint drills with Filipino counterparts. Among them were the Osprey, which is also called a super helicopter because it flies like an airplane but hovers like a chopper, meaning it can carry cargo but does not need a runway to land. The Black Hawk, meanwhile, is the US Army’s tactical transport helicopter.

Balikatan exercises do not only provide training grounds for both U.S. and Filipino military but also extends opportunities among various sectors such as EMS teams.

Stat Med EMTs learned sufficient knowledge and practical know-how about the best practices of medical teams in the U.S.

Among the activities of the troops from the Philippines and United States Army were urban search and rescue exercises as part of humanitarian assistance and disaster response training for Balikatan exercises 2017.

Simulating a disaster in the city, the two armies practiced search and extraction techniques for various scenarios. Fortunately, in the course of the training, no one was hurt that requires medical transport.