Honduran authorities are training Army personnel to form the First Combat Medic Squadron to help injured Military service members and Police officers as well as civilians during operations against organized and common-place crimes.
Honduran Army personnel are training to form the First Combat Medic Squadron, which will help injured Military Service Members, police officers, and civilians during operations against organized crime and ordinary lawbreakers.
Members of the country’s new Military Health Unit launched the course, which will last 12 weeks, in April; operating under the Army Technical School, led by Materiel Colonel José Luis Lagos Velásquez, it will provide first aid training to 35 Army Service Members at the facilities of the First Military Police Battalion in the department of Francisco Morazán.
Medics will assist the entire population
Once trained, the Combat Medics will bolster the Military’s capability to provide first aid and other medical services in the field. They’ll learn basic first aid techniques such as administering IVs, injections, mouth-to-mouth and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, inspecting wounds, and all the other techniques necessary to provide first aid to Military personnel or civilians who need treatment before being transported to a hospital or medical center.
And their efforts won’t be limited to security operations. “By executive order, our unit will assist hospitals in the event healthcare professionals strike, because the Honduran people cannot be left without medical treatment due to economic demands in any sector,” Col. Lagos said.
The 35 unit members will be headquartered in Tegucigalpa; however, they can be deployed to anywhere in the country where they are needed.
Combat Medics will work with elite FUSINA
“President Juan Orlando Hernández’s interest lies in fostering all the capabilities among members of the Armed Forces in order to strengthen an organizational structure able to respond no matter what type of mission is entrusted to them,” Col. Sánchez said. “Since the first day of his administration, the president has demonstrated that his primary objective is to decrease crime rates and to confront petty and organized crime head-on.”
To that end, explained Armed Forces spokesman Infantry Colonel José Antonio Sánchez, “Personnel trained as Combat Medics will be assigned to the National Inter-Agency Security Force (FUSINA) to provide immediate and basic medical attention during any emergencies that may arise in the course of an operation.”
FUSINA, an elite force created by the Council of Ministers on February 17, 2014, includes personnel from the Armed Forces, the National Police, the Prosecutor’s Offices, the Supreme Court of Justice, and the National Directorate for Investigation and Intelligence; it’s in charge of arresting high-profile criminals such as gang members, drug traffickers, and extortionists.
Forming unit shows Military’s ‘respect for life’
The opportunity to help save lives appeals to Infantry Corporal Samuel Ávila, who is one of the 35 members of the Medic Squadron. Being part of the unit gives him a sense of satisfaction.
“We are the first unit of this type. This fills me with pride because we will provide first aid to possible victims of confrontations without distinguishing civilians from the Military,” he said. “I am grateful to Colonel Lagos for giving me the opportunity to be part of this noble squadron.”
The medical unit is a laudable initiative, said security analyst Wilfredo Méndez. “The interest and respect for human life that the authorities are demonstrating through this medical prevention unit is noteworthy. We hope there are no fatalities in these operations, and that they will be a vital support to the people in the event of a strike or labor stoppage by health care professionals.”
The medical units will bolster the medical care the Military provides to the civilian population. In 2015, Military medical outreach clinics treated more than 300,000 people throughout the country. Military authorities expect these clinics will serve more than one million people over the next four years.
Honduran Army personnel are training to form the First Combat Medic Squadron, which will help injured Military Service Members, police officers, and civilians during operations against organized crime and ordinary lawbreakers.
Members of the country’s new Military Health Unit launched the course, which will last 12 weeks, in April; operating under the Army Technical School, led by Materiel Colonel José Luis Lagos Velásquez, it will provide first aid training to 35 Army Service Members at the facilities of the First Military Police Battalion in the department of Francisco Morazán.
Medics will assist the entire population
Once trained, the Combat Medics will bolster the Military’s capability to provide first aid and other medical services in the field. They’ll learn basic first aid techniques such as administering IVs, injections, mouth-to-mouth and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, inspecting wounds, and all the other techniques necessary to provide first aid to Military personnel or civilians who need treatment before being transported to a hospital or medical center.
And their efforts won’t be limited to security operations. “By executive order, our unit will assist hospitals in the event healthcare professionals strike, because the Honduran people cannot be left without medical treatment due to economic demands in any sector,” Col. Lagos said.
The 35 unit members will be headquartered in Tegucigalpa; however, they can be deployed to anywhere in the country where they are needed.
Combat Medics will work with elite FUSINA
“President Juan Orlando Hernández’s interest lies in fostering all the capabilities among members of the Armed Forces in order to strengthen an organizational structure able to respond no matter what type of mission is entrusted to them,” Col. Sánchez said. “Since the first day of his administration, the president has demonstrated that his primary objective is to decrease crime rates and to confront petty and organized crime head-on.”
To that end, explained Armed Forces spokesman Infantry Colonel José Antonio Sánchez, “Personnel trained as Combat Medics will be assigned to the National Inter-Agency Security Force (FUSINA) to provide immediate and basic medical attention during any emergencies that may arise in the course of an operation.”
FUSINA, an elite force created by the Council of Ministers on February 17, 2014, includes personnel from the Armed Forces, the National Police, the Prosecutor’s Offices, the Supreme Court of Justice, and the National Directorate for Investigation and Intelligence; it’s in charge of arresting high-profile criminals such as gang members, drug traffickers, and extortionists.
Forming unit shows Military’s ‘respect for life’
The opportunity to help save lives appeals to Infantry Corporal Samuel Ávila, who is one of the 35 members of the Medic Squadron. Being part of the unit gives him a sense of satisfaction.
“We are the first unit of this type. This fills me with pride because we will provide first aid to possible victims of confrontations without distinguishing civilians from the Military,” he said. “I am grateful to Colonel Lagos for giving me the opportunity to be part of this noble squadron.”
The medical unit is a laudable initiative, said security analyst Wilfredo Méndez. “The interest and respect for human life that the authorities are demonstrating through this medical prevention unit is noteworthy. We hope there are no fatalities in these operations, and that they will be a vital support to the people in the event of a strike or labor stoppage by health care professionals.”
The medical units will bolster the medical care the Military provides to the civilian population. In 2015, Military medical outreach clinics treated more than 300,000 people throughout the country. Military authorities expect these clinics will serve more than one million people over the next four years.