Fairchild Airman named Red Cross Hometown Hero

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Mackenzie Richardson
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFNS) --  Master Sgt. Stephanie Horn, the health services manager for the 92nd Medical Group, was recognized as an American Red Cross Hometown Hero Feb. 26 by the American Red Cross Association for her lifesaving actions in January 2015 in Spokane, Washington.

Horn was with her husband and two children at a recreational vehicle show when her husband saw a woman collapse. After hearing anxious shouts for medical personnel and emergency services, Horn, along with a few other bystanders, ran to the woman's aid and conducted chest compressions for 25 continuous minutes until emergency medical technicians arrived.

"As members of the military, one of the things we are prepared for is to serve our country, potentially in places without access to medical aid," said Lt. Col. James Stryd, chief nurse for the 92nd Medical Group. "It doesn't matter if you're medical personnel or not. We're all trained how to take care of ourselves and our buddies."

Horn conducted chest compressions on the woman, rotating with three other individuals. Without access to an automated defibrillator, they relied on the skills they learned from training.

"The importance of paying attention to the training cannot be emphasized enough," she said. "Everyone has busy lives, but you never know when you're going to have to use the training to make a difference."

For her efforts, Horn received the Air Force Achievement medal and was selected as a Greater Inland Northwest Hometown Hero by the Northwest Region Red Cross. She will be recognized at the American Red Cross Hometown Heroes luncheon April 28 in Spokane.

Each year, the luncheon recognizes individuals and organizations from the northwest region that have made a positive impact on the lives of others, whether through a lifesaving action or tireless work to benefit the community.

Horn said she recertifies every two years, but before this incident she hadn’t used her lifesaving skills outside training.

"It's a natural human response to think someone else will step up," Horn said. "The military trains us to be the person who steps up. Someone else is not going to do something, we have to -- doing nothing is never an option."