Photo By Airman 1st Class Lauren McMullen | U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Stephen Rath, SGP and Deputy Commander of the 150th Medical...... read more read more
GREENVILLE, Miss. - The Pafford Emergency Medical Services provided medical troops with innovative training by riding alongside paramedics and advanced emergency medical technicians on emergency calls in the nearby community.
“A partnership between IRT and Pafford was established to expose military personnel to real world emergency response and further their readiness to support domestic and overseas missions,” said Capt. Adrian Mateos, officer in charge of training. “This is the first time in IRT’s history with such collaboration, which was also of benefit to Pafford as their personnel attended a couple military organized trainings to include Tactical Combat Casualty Care, K9 First Aid, Land Navigation, and Combatives.”
“It has been a great experience,” said Master Sgt. Gregg Hecathorn, medical services rotation coordinator, 1st Sgt. from the 150th Special Operations Wing. “A lot of (the medics) had never been in the back of an ambulance. Some of the paramedics they're riding with have 40 years of experience. They're able to share stories, exchange information, and they're learning new equipment.”
“There is equipment in the ambulance that is not in an emergency room or medical pack,” said Hecathorn. “They are able to learn the new equipment, different ways of using it and get out on the streets to use it on actual patients in the field.”
“At first, it was a little intimidating because we are not really used to doing civilian EMS of any kind, so it is nice to get out into the community and get back into it,” said Tech. Sgt. Cailee Salerno, medic from the 101st Air Refueling Wing. “My favorite part of today was being able to calm patients down and seeing their relief when I was talking to them. It was really nice to see someone in crisis and be able to help take away the panic.”
“We train so much that it just kicks in, it’s just like muscle memory, but being secure and confident in your training is super important. Also, having a strong team helps a lot,” said Master Sgt. Shannon Myhre, medic from the 150th Special Operations Wing. “I loved getting out into the community, and just being reminded, ‘Wow, I am a medic.’ I came from a reservation and small town; being in Mississippi, getting to help a new community on an ambulance is surreal.”
Each group of medics that has been on a rotation has had different calls, experiences and reactions, but each came back with more experience and a renewed excitement for their job. The medics that joined ranged from every skill level, from brand new out of tech school Airmen to providers with 30 years of experience like U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Stephen Rath.
Hecathorn said, “for us to allow them to do that in a safe environment and give back to the communities is just a win-win all the way around.”
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.16.2021 12:18 |
| Story ID: | 401062 |
| Location: | GREENVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Hometown: | GREENVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 240 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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