Photo By Staff Sgt. R. Alex Durbin | First Lt. Travis Schaffer, 633rd Medical Operations Squadron emergency room registered...... read more read more
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HAMPTON, Va. - It was a calm, sunny afternoon at the Mohican State Park in Loudonville, Ohio, as 1st Lt. Travis Schaffer ran along the twisted, knotted trails, enjoying some time on leave. He slowed down to a walk so his mother and sister could catch up to him.
As they walked down the trail, they saw an elderly man walking with two young girls. Schaffer casually said hello and had planned to continue on his way, but the man pleaded for help.
The man informed Schaffer that his grandson had fallen while hiking, and had hurt his ankle. Schaffer, a 633rd Medical Operations Squadron emergency room registered nurse at U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley at Langley Air Force Base, Va., immediately let his training take over.
"My first instinct was to find him," he said, referring to the man's injured grandson. "That is the reason I became a nurse - to help those in need."
Once Schaffer got directions from the man, he ran to see if he could use his years of training to assist the family. Once he made it to where they were, he assessed the young man's injury.
Schaffer checked the severity of the injury, and administered the correct dosage of Ibuprofen to reduce the swelling and ease the young man's pain. Then he dragged a large tree trunk to elevate the injured ankle.
Luckily for the injured man, the ankle was not broken; it was only a minor sprain. Schaffer waited with the family until help arrived on the scene to help the injured man out of the park. While waiting, he shared his expertise and knowledge to sooth the family's anxiety.
"It felt good to calm them down," he said. "In the woods, even a minor injury can be intimidating."
Schaffer said the need to help others not only pushed him to pursue a career in nursing, but to join the Air Force once he finished his schooling.
"I joined the Air Force to make a difference," he said. "It was an easy decision to use my training to serve my country, and help those who need it."
While the injury was not a dire situation, Schaffer used his training gained through his studies and the Air Force to assist the injured man, and put the family at ease - a situation any airmen could find themselves in at any moment.
"It could happen to any Airman," said Kevin Berry, a 633rd Air Base Wing Self-Aid Buddy Care adviser. "That is what makes SABC training so important."
Berry, who retired after nearly 26 years as an active-duty aerospace medical service technician, has used his own medical training while off-duty.
Once while off-duty in Minnesota, Berry was one of the first on the scene of a car accident. Using his Air Force training, Berry ran to the damaged car, and held the drivers neck in place to avoid any inadvertent movement that could worsen any potential injury to the driver's neck. Then he waited for emergency responders to arrive.
This is another instance that proves that a service members' training can be called upon at any moment.
"It's important for all airmen to be able to take care of their wingmen while deployed, at work or even on vacation." said Berry. "It may not be life or death, but you never can know."
Active-duty airmen interested in signing up for a SABC class or CPR class can call the Education and Training office to schedule a time to attend the course.
While SABC qualification is a deployment requirement, it is paramount for all service members to be able to use these skills at any time.
"It's great to be able to help someone when you're not required to," said Schaffer. "It's the right thing to do."
| Date Taken: | 09.15.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 10.30.2012 16:01 |
| Story ID: | 97008 |
| Location: | HAMPTON, VA, US |
| Hometown: | LOUDONVILLE, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, In the Spotlight: Airman uses training to ‘make a difference’, by SSgt R. Alex Durbin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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