Class equips personnel with life-saving techniques

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Justin Weaver
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  When the call of a reported cardiac arrest came over the radio, the emergency medical technician sprung into action. Arriving first to the scene, Master Sgt. Andrew Henne, who at the time was a Vermont-certified EMT prior to joining the Air Force, forced his way into the bathroom of an elderly man's home.

"With a sense of critical seconds slipping by, I shoved the door hard and realized that the man, whom I was trying to get into to take care of, was collapsed against the door," said Sergeant Henne, 31st Force Support Squadron first sergeant and 21-year veteran EMT. "Putting my weight into the door, I was finally able to slip by and into the room. My patient was an elderly male and after a quick assessment he showed the obvious signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest; no respirations, no pulse, pale skin and making gargling noises."

That's when Sergeant Henne went to work. He applied a pocket mask, gave two breaths and then began compressions on the man's lower chest.

"The first one or two compressions were the most dramatic, as his ribs snapped with each downward thrust; this necessary evil a consequence of delivering good compressions," Sergeant Henne said. "I continued this cycle until the ambulance and my fellow medics arrived to deliver more definitive care and to transport him to the hospital.

"I don't recall if he lived through this experience, but I can tell you when we transferred care to the hospital emergency room doctors, he was 'pinking up,' an indication that he was getting adequate oxygen and blood flow throughout his body."

Sergeant Henne's EMT background and CPR training were critical in potentially saving this man's life.

"It's important that people know CPR because with those skills, a working knowledge of how and why CPR works, and a desire to help, anyone can save a life," he said.

The life-saving techniques Sergeant Henne learned as an EMT are taught in CPR classes on the first Wednesday of every month in Area 1.

"Everyone should be certified in CPR," said Staff Sgt. Launa Schleiden, 31st Fighter Wing Legal Office paralegal, who just completed the three-hour CPR course. "You never know when something could happen and you could have the ability to save them."

To schedule a CPR class, e-mail Staff Sgt. Erin Matschke at erin.matschske@aviano.af.mil. Sergeant Matschke is the NCO in charge of resuscitative medication. Classes are in Building 103, room 203.