Red Cross Training

It is already two weeks ago, but I think I should still tell you about the Red Cross Training. As it was really great!!! I am so glad I took part in it as I learnt a lot and had a lot of fun too.
On Friday May 5th we went to a German army base in Lehnin, near Berlin. Six hours by bus. The army base is really big, in the forest. It is only used for training, for all German forces and the Special Forces. They have built an entire village-in-war-zone to train in.
On Friday we first had a briefing by a military guy (can not remember his rank or anything, as that is not my kind of thing) who told us everything we needed to know about ammunition we might encounter during our training (do not touch, do NOT play with it and warn your instructor). We were divided into four teams- I was in team 2 the green team (see picture), with Kawe, Chris, Michi, Emmanuel, Antje , Julie and Nickolay. Then we all had to get on ICRC-trucks (International Federation of the Red Cross) an we were driven to a big sandy place where we had to fill sandbags. We then had to get them on the truck, and I can tell you we were not organised! Yet, I should say, as the sandbags kept coming back. After we loaded them on the truck, we went to the village. There we were taught how to make a safe entrance; a pile of sandbags in front of your door so that you can get out of the house safely, without immediately being shot by a sniper. Sounds really nice, but it meant we had to offload the sandbags. And get ourselves organised. The team leaders and deputies tried their best, but it was not working very well yet. After finishing the safe entry, we went back to the barracks to have dinner and watch an instruction video of ICRC. And then: drinks around the fire!! And trying not to go to bed too late as the ladies had to take a shower at 6.30. :S
Saturday. EARLY shower. Breakfast, and off to the village for our four stations: Communication in the Field (radio, satcom, GPS), First Aid (Wounds, Unconsiousness/Recovery Position, Fractures/Immobilisation, (Improvised)Transport of Casualties), Off-road Driving and Maintenance (Toyota Landcruiser) and Fire (extinguishing, not setting fire). All very interesting!! A lot of fun to put bandages and plasters on your team members, or to carry them around on an improvised stretcher. And very exciting to drive a Landcruiser on those sandy hills!! Although I was a bit scared at first (as the hills were really steep!) it turned out to be a lot of fun! And I managed pretty well. Trying to assist a person who is on fire is also pretty exciting, although it was a metal man the fire was very real. So walking up there with your blanket is a bit scary. But we learnt a lot!
And afterwards we were having a nice coffee and….. BANG! A big explosion. And a call on the radio for assistance. When we arrived on the scene with three teams there was a car on fire, a big fire. And we saw one fireman on the ground. And behind the car there was another one. He was unconscious and we were calling for help. The doctor arrived, but refused to move him as that is something you normally would not do. But as we were too close to the fire we had to remove him. Other people started to work on the pump and then to put out the fire. Our unconscious man regained consciousness and started to cry out for his buddy. And then started to run. I hope the Red Cross filmed it as I must have looked like a complete fool: running after the man that was screaming like hell.. 
In the end we managed to get an ambulance for the other wounded guy and then the exercise was over. All in all pretty realistic with the big fire. But the main lesson was: COORDINATE YOURSELVES. As it was still pretty chaotic and none of the teams stayed together. And only the team leaders and the deputies had radios, but hardly used them. So a lot to think and talk about during dinner and the drinks at the fire outside again. Especially after the details for Sunday came in.
On Sunday we had an exercise ‘Convoy to Rauhberg’. As Chris, our deputy, was a local he had to be the translator for our convoy leader Rory, who did not speak the local language. So I became the deputy instead. More responsibility!
Our ICRC convoy (a landcruiser, a truck with rice-indeed the sandbags again that we had to pick up and put on the truck after the whole fire exercise-, two mini-vans with staff members and finally our landcruiser with our team and two other team members) would be travelling to Rauhberg to deliver rice to the local Red Cross. We all had to bring our passports as we might come across a military checkpoint. A bit after nine o’clock in the morning (so a bit too late) we left the barracks for Rauhberg. Everybody was quite nervous as in the ICRC-video we had seen that the people needed to get out of their cars because they were being shot at. First only normal road, and then a very small road through the forest. We all expected an ambush, to be honest. But we reached a regular military checkpoint. The first car, with the convoy leader went in. The truck went in. And then they closed the checkpoint and told us to drive a bit back. And we did not get any messages on the radio. Suddenly, an explosion! Everybody was ready to jump out of the car, but after that: silence. Finally, after waiting for a long time we found out that they had found a bom on the truck. It was smuggled by the local driver (a man from the German Red Cross), who did not even have his ID with him. More waiting, until a new truck driver would arrive. And finally a soldier told us to approach the checkpoint again. When the first car went in, all the team members had to get out. They searched the car (which we all did after hearing the message of the bom!) and all the members had to go through the checkpoint individually, walking. They really kept us waiting for a long, long time. I was the last one to go in (as the deputy team leader I wanted to make sure my whole team was in), and I think I have been waiting outside that checkpoint for nearly two hours! But that is pretty realistic.
Inside the village we were welcomed by the local Red Cross man, and we had to unload the truck with rice. As I was the deputy now, I had to be on the truck to unload, which was pretty heavy. Being up there, we could see military movements, but the man from the Red Cross assured us that nothing was going on- despite some explosions we could hear. This definitely helped us to speed up in unloading this time! Then we went to the local Red Cross office for some refreshments. In the middle of the nice speech and then handing out of water there was a really loud explosion! As I was still close to the car I was immediately on the ground, behind the wheels. All the others were running for a safe wall, so I joined them. Very soon we heard that the explosion was at the local market, near the school. The convoy leader ordered us to get into the cars and off we drove. A big tank exploded as we reached the place, and as soon as we got out of the car a sniper started shooting at us. So again on the ground, behind the wheels of a truck. I assisted in getting a victim inside, but then I was sent across the street to the tank as they did not have enough people there and nobody had a radio. I crossed the street, running but at the same time keeping low. I had to help to carry a wounded soldier (with his intestines hanging outside and a lot of blood) off the tank and then was checking on an unconscious citizen on the ground. And not just a victim: he was at least 150 kilos! They managed to get the soldier to the underground improvised hospital, but the man was a real challenge. I called for help on the radio but only a few people arrived, without a stretcher. We had to make a stretcher from a blanket and some sticks and after a while we managed to get him on the stretcher. As there was no way we could carry him to the hospital I ran to find a car. Luckily the keys were still in, as we all had to jump out so quickly. They carried the man inside the car, while I was starting the car. Everybody ran for the underground, but we had a small problem: his feet were still outside….. Emilia tried to pull the blanket, but nothing happened. I assisted, but nothing happened. Then Rory assisted and finally we managed to move him inside, close the door and speed off while calling for assistance on the radio to unload the heavy victim. We offloaded him, and then I had to park the car somewhere else and assist in getting the truck near the hospital. Then we had the message from the local population that 10 people were missing and that we should count inside the hospital. And then I realised that all the other victims were children! It was a complete chaos inside, with a lot of blood and screaming children.. We were told that there were 15 wounded people, so we had to count ourselves, jumping over the victims. In the end it turned out to be 10 people, and when we reported that on the radio the exercise was over.
WHAT A DAY! It was really realistic. And we learnt a lot. We were much more coordinated, but way to fast in deciding to go there…
If you are interested in seeing some more pictures of this adventure, please go to http://www.partynations.com/Germany/07May06/ . Here you can also find some other nice pictures from Bochum, or the Sinterklaas party we had in Groningen.
Soon an update on Indonesia (as I am almost leaving!), but first I have to do another simulation exercise this week. No blood and explosions involved, but still very challenging. Tomorrow I am expecting a lot of funding proposals from organisations like CARE International, ICRC and MSF and I have to decided whether we (ECHO) will give them the money or not….