Pararescuemen assigned to the 57th Rescue Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England, recently practiced urban rescue missions at the UK Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh. The five-day training exercise included rescuing personnel from the rubble of destroyed buildings. Thirty participants took part in the exercise, which focused on urban tactics, high-angle rope work, collapsed structure, and confined spaces, mass casualty, and patient management,” pararescueman SSgt. Ryan Onley said in a release. Volunteers played “red teams” during the exercise, using paintball guns to replicate firefights as PJs rescued and treated casualties, also played by volunteers.
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.