Photo By Staff Sgt. James Fritz | Tech. Sgt. Dakota Luknis, 911th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron aeromedical evacuation...... read more read more
Tech. Sgt. Dakota Luknis, an aeromedical evacuation technician assigned to the 911th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and ER nurse in his local hospital, rescued a family from a house fire on May 12, 2024, in Kent, Ohio.
Around 2 a.m. Luknis, a native of Austintown and ER nurse in Warren, Ohio, was alerted to a fire at a nearby house by a friend. What followed was a series of actions that demonstrated Luknis' quick thinking and selfless service, traits honed through his military and medical training.
That night Luknis was up late celebrating his girlfriend’s graduation from Kent State University. A call from a friend interrupted the group, reporting a blaze across the street. Luknis initially misheard his friend, thinking there was a fight and rushed to intervene. His urgency to act escalated upon seeing the flames.
Although the house was their home, smoke and soot obstructed the family's ability to find their way out, forcing them to rely on feeling for an exit. It was the voices of Luknis’ friend’s that helped the family find their way to a window.
Approaching the house, Luknis saw young children and two adults on the roof. “We just started screaming at them, ‘You have to jump,’” Luknis said.
The group caught two children and two adults who jumped from the roof, moving them across the street, where one woman gave the children a stuffed bear in an attempt to comfort them. Security footage from one home in the community showed the fire spread within five minutes.
Luknis’s actions that night are a testament to his training and dedication as a Reserve Citizen Airman and an aeromedical evacuation technician – professionals responsible for ensuring the safe and effective evacuation of patients. His skills in emergency response and patient care are evident in his swift response to the fire.
“I’m not surprised by Tech. Sgt. Luknis’ actions during that emergency, said Lt. Col. Adam Foster, the Director of Operations for the 911th AES. “Luknis has a high sense of integrity and an innate willingness to help others so I’m not surprised that he ran toward danger to help.”
As an aeromedical evacuation technician, saving lives and providing urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilization is all in a day’s work. He sets up medical stations and equipment aboard the 911th Airlift Wing’s C-17 Globemaster III and other approved aircraft for aeromedical evacuation missions. He also assists critical care, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and neonatal intensive care unit teams in safely evacuating patients to higher levels of medical care.
For Luknis, the events of that night were a reminder of the unpredictability of emergencies and the importance of readiness both in and out of the uniform.
| Date Taken: | 06.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.24.2024 14:22 |
| Story ID: | 474691 |
| Location: | PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIR RESERVE STATION, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | AUSTINTOWN, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 588 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Ready to Respond: Aeromedical evacuation technician rescues family from blaze, by Jeffrey Grossi, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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