Text and photo: Private 1st Class Jacob Trier, Danish Field Hospital

– Attention, Attention! Incoming wounded! The announcement from the speakers sound among the tents of the Field Hospital, and medical personnel rush to the entrance, where they are ready to receive ambulances with another group of ragged refugees.

A massive earthquake Monday morning shook the islandian enclave in northern Vendia. A short while later, the first couple of injured civilians arrived by foot to the Field Hospital, which has recently been dispatched to provide humanitarian aid to the troubled region.

As the day goes on, more and more ambulances and military vehicles arrive at the Field Hospital, where the staff works hard to provide aid to the many wounded persons.

In groups of eight to twelve, the injured are dropped off at the hospital entrance, where Navy personnel search them before they are allowed into the hospital.

With the ethnic tensions in the area, the risk of radical groups exploiting the confusion to do acts of terror cannot be ignored.

Before they receive medical attention, the injured are examined by medical personnel, who prioritize them according to the severity of their injuries.

The most seriously hurt are rushed to the emergency room, while those with lighter wounds have to wait a bit.

Inside the hospital, trained doctors, nurses and medics are hard at work. Patients who need it are operated and admitted to either intensive care or a bed ward.

Those with lighter injuries are discharged, so more refugees can receive medical attention.

Luckily it is not a real disaster, but a disaster relief exercise that runs as part of the naval exercise DANEX 07.

Both for the Field Hospital and the other participants it is important to train such an effort to be prepared for a possible real life situation.