1563 Flt A Winch Medic perspective in Brunei

AS1 Phoebe Young

Winch Medic: pretty much is what it says on the tin.

RAF medics from 4626 Sqn Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service are deployed in Brunei to facilitate life-saving medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) to exercising troops on a 24/7 basis.

The lead up to this involved learning the entirely new skill of winching in the hot and sweaty environment of Brunei which was certainly an experience! However, the end result is that there are now 4 medics who can winch, day or night, with stretchers and strops providing the ability to retrieve casualties from the deepest depths of the jungle. These troops are accessed through landing points throughout the jungle or through winch holes (gaps in the canopy through which a single medic can be lowered on a cable) which can be up to 180ft above the ground - as tall as the Leaning Tower of Pisa! It has been a great chance to learn new skills which are so different from the normal day to day, but you definitely couldn’t do it if you were scared of heights.

Combining the nuances of medical supervision and the extraordinary experience of operating on the back of a Puma has certainly been an adventure.

There are many differences between working on the back of a Puma compared to working in a medical centre/hospital/ ambulance; smaller space, hot, noisy, restricted by weather (good luck getting off the ground in a lightning storm) and operating with the doors open, to name just a few. Getting to grips with working on the cab needed to happen quickly as we started running MEDEVAC cover from the first week.

Each call is different but the adrenaline spike that hits when the call comes in never changes and is second to none. Suddenly all that training, both medical and winch, is being put into practice. The notes received are basic but give you something to start running through situations in your head on the flight down to the grid reference of where the casualty is located. The flight gives you time to ensure the medical kit is prepped and ready to use if required. Then, depending on whether you are winching or landing at a landing site you are out the door and ready to receive your patient. Once they are back on board you can continue the medical care they have been given on the ground, monitor and treat as needed until you land at the hospital.

Brunei is hot and sweaty, and this is no different when you are operating on a Puma, other than the additional fire retardant (FR) long johns that must be worn underneath the FR clothing and the winching bosun’s chair. It’s been such an adventure so far, pushing us to operate in a different environment with varying levels of kit, using new skills but the sweaty discomfort is worth it.