MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Sunday, all emergency responders from the city of Misawa and Misawa Air Base responded to an earthquake in Misawa City.

Fortunately, it was not a real earthquake, but an actual Disaster Preparation Exercise held at the Ice Arena in Misawa City to prepare first responders in the city and on the base in the event of an actual earthquake.

Airmen from the 35th Medical Group had a key role in the exercise.

"We took part in the exercise by preparing the casualties and providing primary medical response," said Lt. Col. Yolanda Bledsoe, 35th Medical Operations Squadron commander.

To assist with this part of the exercise the hospital's Moulage Team prepared 30 casualties.

"They do a phenomenal job preparing realistic casualties," said Colonel Bledsoe. "Their work adds an element of realism to the exercise scenario, which helps our medical personnel to quickly respond and to accurately treat patients."

In addition, the hospital provided ambulance and primary response support for injured patients.

"It is important for us to participate in this exercise for several reasons, but the two most important reasons are joint exercises of this nature gives all agencies a chance to collaborate and plan events and hone our joint capabilities while responding to a mass casualty scenario," said Colonel Bledsoe. "And secondly they allow us an opportunity to learn from each other and to integrate our medical response capabilities, while at the same time we're able to foster our relationship with our host nation."

This exercise happens yearly, but it is the first time in many years that the hospital was invited to participate by Misawa City officials.

"To prepare for the event, we work with our Japanese Air Self Defense Force counterparts every year during our Mass Casualty Readiness Exercise and most recently during the Airfest," said Colonel Bledsoe.

For operations to run smoothly, hospital officials here have created a form to process patients with ease.

"It's a bilingual triage patient intake form," explained Colonel Bledsoe. "The form allows both medical teams (Japanese and American) to have a user friendly way to assess and provide treatment for our patients."

Any language barrier is not a problem for these professionals who took the time to attend meetings with Misawa City officials during the planning phase of the exercise.
"Planning and preparation were the keys to the success of this exercise," said Colonel Bledsoe. "A natural disaster can happen at any time and place. In fact, southern Japan just recently suffered the fatal effects of an earthquake, so it was a very timely exercise scenario for us and we were fortunate to work with our local host nation before we actually experience an earthquake. Training and working together like we did yesterday means that when and if it happens, we are ready!"