Florida National Guard Soldiers take Combat Life Saver Course

Photo By Sgt. Spencer Rhodes | Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Autry, readiness noncomissioned officer for 256 Medical Company, assesses soldiers on basic life saving skills during a Combat Life Saver Course at the Orange County Convention Center Community Based Testing Center. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Spencer Rhodes)  

FLORIDA, UNITED STATES

04.16.2020

Story by Sgt. Spencer Rhodes 

107th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

ORLANDO, Florida – National Guard Soldiers activated in support of Community Based Testing Sites have begun rotating through the Army Life Saver course, as the state maintains its medical preparedness. Holding the near 40-hour course during operations ensures more Soldiers can augment and support those already performing testing functions for state residents. The course will continue to be given over the next two to three weeks.

Sgt. Sergio O'Neill, from the 2nd Battalion, 54th Security Forces Assistance Brigade, is an instructor teaching the Combat Life Saver course for Soldiers at the Miami CBTS. Because so many of the state's army medics remain busy at one of the many CBTS' across the state, the Florida National Guard is sending Soldiers through training that gives them a baseline knowledge of proper care practices when performing test swabs.

Part of this training includes the army Combat Life Saver Course, which teaches soldiers a wide variety of necessary lifesaving skills. Combined with the same thorough training on diseases and proper donning and doffing of personal protection equipment, they will be able to augment and support those already conducting test swabs for residents. As a rising need for testing of populations in assisted living facilities, this training also allows them to help medics on the mobile testing teams.

"Once they become CLS certified, they will go through additional training on HIPAA, familiarization on swabbing, and PPE [personal protection equipment] usage. Then they'll go to the Hard Rock Stadium where they basically left-seat, right-seat with a medic in one of the actual drive-through lanes," said O'Neill. "This way they'll be able to see how it's done every day in the lanes, and get actual experience conducting the test swabs themselves, while a medic that has already been working in the lanes can watch over their shoulder to ensure everything is performed to standard."

With well over 2,000 Soldiers currently activated, the need to maintain medical preparedness extends beyond supporting just the testing processes across the state. Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Autry, readiness noncommissioned officer for the 256 Medical Company, facilitated teaching the CLS course at the OCC CBTS and said many of the units lack organic medical personnel due to the need for army medics elsewhere.

"You might not always have a medic around, so it's important to always have someone close by who knows first aid," said Autry. "The intent of the CLS program is that every small element should always have a CLS in it."

Lt. Col. Jacob Gerzenshtein, the Medical Safety Officer at the Orange County Convention Center CBST, has helped develop the standard operating procedures for the mobile testing teams. Gerzenshtein said since each team will have an army medic on hand, the CLS course will add to medical preparedness seen across all current active operations within the FLNG.

• Date Taken: 04.16.2020
• Date Posted: 04.16.2020 08:29
• Story ID: 367528
• Location: FLORIDA, US