Moroccan soldiers complete first responder course
Story and photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cody Harding
4th Public Affairs Detachment
M
oroccan soldiers at Camp
Novo Selo completed a
four-day First Responder
Course taught by U.S. Army
medics with the Forward Command
Post Dec. 20.
casualty on the field of battle [as a first
responder].”
The course was adapted from the
Combat Lifesaver Course that U.S.
soldiers receive, and includes instruction
on how to give first aid, how to move a
The class was the first medical course casualty to safety, apply tourniquets and
the Moroccan coy received since their bandages and administer intravenous
fluids to a patient. Students also learned
arrival to Kosovo.
how to fill out casualty cards and perform
Moroccan Army Sgt. Hamidi Ali, a requests for medical evacuation.
soldier with the Moroccan coy, said
he enjoyed the training he received U.S. Army Sgt. Tristen Starr, a medic
from his U.S. counterparts and hopes with the FCP medical platoon, said
to attend similar training in the near it is important for their multinational
partners to learn how to treat a casualty
future.
as they may be the first ones to respond
“This was the first time we had seen to a medical emergency.
training like this,” said Ali. “For us, we
didn’t have any information to treat a “It helps facilitate and ensure that
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everyone knows the care we provide,”
Starr, a Columbus. Ga. native, said.
“Not everyone has as many medics as
the U.S. coy has, so when they’re out
performing their mission, they know
how to treat and evacuate [casualties]
on our platforms.”
The class ended with a practical
exercise that tested all of the skills the
soldiers had learned; treating casualties
in a stressful environment, calling
in medical support and evacuating
casualties to an ambulance while
relaying the situation to the U.S.
medical crew without an interpreter.
“It was really good training,” Ali said.
“It was the first time we understood
how necessary it [first responder care]
was to save a person on the battlefield.”