An “online period in the life” of an Air Force Health Squadron
1 Air Transportable Health Squadron (1ATHS) at RAAF Base Amberley is one of the three deployable Air Force
Health units. The unit was on line from the beginning of March until the end of Jun 07. This presentation will provide an overview of the multiple taskings the unit received and met during this 4 month period. As well as supporting numerous exercises and medical support tasks, including the provision of personnel for strategic AME, the unit deployed a significant number of personnel on two operations. “Operation Hat Trick” as it was informally known, saw personnel deploy initially to Timor, then Yogyakarta in response to the Garuda Airlines accident, followed by a period
on cyclone alert back to Darwin. Three weeks later 1ATHS deployed an Expeditionary Health Facility level 2 (EHF2) as part of Operation Solomon Assist, the ADF response to the Solomon Islands tsunami. The team was deployed to the village of Sassamunga on the island of Choiseul where due to the remoteness of the location logistics became a huge challenge. As a result this deployment was dubbed “Operation Hump a lot of Stuff”. Finally, this presentation will also touch on the challenges we faced in trying to balance our operational commitments with NSA health care
requirements.
