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“It is better to be prepared for an occurrence and it never occurs than to have an occurrence and not be prepared,” said Whitney M. Young Jr., American Liberties activist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.
Recently, several Ramstein Airmen were put to the test as skills they learned in such military training as CPR and Self-Aid Buddy Care were used in real world emergencies.
For many military members, annual training like SABC and CPR are just that – training. However, as two Airmen have recently shown, the skills learned in these courses are highly effectively in saving lives.
Master Sgt. David Gates recently lost consciousness and stopped breathing on the racquetball court at Ramstein’s Northside Fitness Center. Tech. Sgt. William Stuckmeyer, NCOIC of the facility, immediately responded by having a co-worker call 112, grabbing the facility’s Automated External Defibrillator and rushing to provide treatment. After the shock was applied and three cycles of CPR were administered, Sergeant Gates began breathing on his own again. Thankfully, Sergeant Stuckmeyer was CPR/AED certified and current in his SABC training.
“I have gone through many of these training classes preparing you for these types of emergencies,” Sergeant Stuckmeyer said. “I would say that all of this training has paid off for me, Sergeant Gates and his family.”
Sergeant Gates was, of course, also grateful for the training and how prepared Sergeant Stuckmeyer was.
“Sergeant Stuckmeyer did what he was trained to do and he helped save my life,” Sergeant Gates said. “It truly pays to teach these skills.”
Another incident happened to a local national involved in a serious motorcycle accident off-base. Tech. Sgt. Andrew Dapkins, 2nd Air Postal Squadron Command Postal transportation manager, spotted the injured victim on the side of the road and quickly pulled over to help.
“Upon arriving at the scene, I immediately realized no one had taken charge of the scene. My first reaction was to have someone call for help and I then began checking the victim for injuries,” he said. “She was screaming and trying to move, so I realized that CPR wasn’t necessary. I gathered some extra clothing and blankets to keep her as warm as possible. My main objective was to treat her for shock by keeping her warm, minimizing her movement and calming her down until the local emergency response personnel arrived.”
Sergeant Dapkins was also CPR/AED certified and trained in SABC.
“These are certainly not the only examples of Air Force training being employed in a real-world emergency,” said Staff Sgt. Sonja Brown, Ramstein SABC adviser. “The life saving skills learned in such courses as the CPR/AED certification course and SABC are used nearly every day whether at home or abroad,”
Sergeant Brown said the classes are important because they help save lives not only downrange, but also at home.
“The skills you learn in the classes can be applied anywhere – at home, in the office, on the side of the autobahn, on a camping trip, it doesn’t matter.”
Staff Sgt. Korrine Kargl, 435th Medical Group Basic Life Support Program director, said everyone needs to have the training, even if at the most basic level.
“The use of the techniques learned in these courses greatly increases a victim’s chances of survival,” she said.
Col. Don Bacon, 435th Air Base Wing commander, said it’s also important to highlight the training and these incidents because “it shows what happens when we are trained and mentally prepared for an emergency. Our SABC training and other classes help prepare us for emergencies like these.”
