The biomedical equipment technicians maintain and repair essential medical devices to support both home-base care and deployed missions.
Amid the beeping monitors and the hurried footsteps of medical personnel, the 78th Healthcare Operations Squadron biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs) ensure the 78th Medical Group at Robins Air Force Base, Ga, can deliver critical care.
A crucial aspect of their mission is supporting deployed forces. “We take care of the 94th (Airlift Wing at Dobbins AFB, Ga),” says Tech Sgt Brandon Musgrave, 78th MDG BMET healthcare technology manager, in a release. “They’ve got equipment that is deploying all the time. And the equipment they’ve got is a lot closer to what we would see in the deployed environment, like ventilators and aspirators.”
This operational readiness mindset is key at the 78th Medical Group to getting service members ready to deploy. “If, let’s say, the dental clinic’s sterilizers went down, their ability to get deployers ready to go decreases to zero,” Musgrave says in a release.
The increasing complexity of medical equipment, coupled with difficulties in obtaining proprietary parts, can create challenges for the team. Nevertheless, the 78th Healthcare Operations Squadron BMETs remain dedicated to their mission, ensuring the 78th Medical Group is ready to provide the best possible care to Airmen, both at home and deployed around the globe.
“For me, it’s being able to see the direct results of my actions,” says Stephen Danko, BMET medical equipment repair technician, in a release. “Whether it be gaining a new capability from the medical side or getting a piece of equipment back up and running to have their operations still going, (that) is probably the most satisfying aspect of my job.”
Photo caption: Tech Sgt Brandon Musgrave, 78th Medical Group Healthcare Operations Squadron Biomedical Equipment Technicians healthcare technology manager, calibrates a ventilator at Robins Air Force Base, Ga, on July 31, 2025. Calibration of the ventilator precisely controlled gas mixtures and regulated pressure and volume to deliver customized breaths, preventing lung damage and ensuring adequate blood oxygenation to patients.
Photo credit: US Air Force photo by Jerry Foltz
