Training helps Elmendorf Airman save man's life

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mikal Canfield
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) --  He did what his training taught him to do, he said.

"I was at my desk and I overheard some co-workers talking about someone in a room having a heart attack," said Master Sgt. Robert Campbell, the 3rd Services Squadron NCO in charge of Lodging at Elmendorf Air Force Base's North Star Inn.

The individual in distress was David Ira, a man visiting Alaska as part of a vacation trip with his wife.

The lodging staff immediately called for assistance. With paramedics en route, Sergeant Campbell went up to the room to investigate.

"The room was very dark and I immediately opened the curtains to reveal (Mr. Ira) was turning purple," he said. "I immediately checked for a pulse on his wrist and neck and, after determining there was no pulse, I started to perform CPR actions."

Sergeant Campbell performed two cycles of CPR until help arrived. Elmendorf paramedics came in and applied an automated external defibrillator before transporting Mr. Ira to Providence Hospital in Anchorage.

Sergeant Campbell knew what to do because of training he has received throughout his 18-year Air Force career, specifically, self aid and buddy care and CPR training.

"The biannual CPR training is the most important training we receive," he said. "It was like second nature to me to react when the incident happened.

Sergeant Campbell's statement on the importance of CPR is backed up by research conducted by the American Heart Association. According to the AHA, CPR can double or triple the survival rate of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest when performed at intervals and followed by defibrillation.

Mr. Ira has recovered enough to return to his home in Lake Havasu. He is recovering well, said Sergeant Campbell, although he will have to go to therapy to regain some of the motor skills he's lost. 

"Mr. Ira was very thankful for the actions I took on that day. He constantly wanted to shake my hand and wanted to hear the story over and over again," Sergeant Campbell said. "He was still in recovery when I talked to him. Because he doesn't remember much due to the memory loss he sustained. His daughter was there to videotape our conversation so she can replay it to him at a later date."

When Sergeant Campbell thinks about that day, most of his thoughts come back to the training he received and knowing what needed to be done and having the confidence to act fast.

"I feel extremely blessed that I had the opportunity to assist someone who really needed my help," he said. "I am just glad I could put my CPR training to good use and save a life. I was in the right place at the right time."

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