Self Aid, Buddy Care saves lives

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kristen Rohrer
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif --  For those in need of emergency medical care after a life-threatening injury, Self-Aid and Buddy Care can save a life.

"SABC is 21st century life and limb saving skills; steps taken to save lives," said Jerry Hoenicke, 60th Air Mobility Wing Self Aid and Buddy Care advisor. "It is emergency first-aid care that can save a life in any situation."

SABC has the potential to improve a person's chances of surviving a serious injury. It is commonly used by the military in deployed environments where there is a constant threat of serious bodily injury from improvised explosive devices, bombs and mortars, etc.

In many cases troops are seriously injured after an attack and SABC must be used to stop any excessive bleeding and secure any open wounds or broken bones.

"IEDs have changed the way we must respond to injuries," Mr. Hoenicke said. "We have to be able to keep people alive and transport them to a secure hospital for further care".

Because of the use of SABC and body armor, casualties in the AOR were reduced 75 percent, he said.

SABC is a requirement for every military member at Travis. The training is administered through two classes. The first is online training while the second is a classroom-delivered, hands-on class that allows students to learn the steps of SABC.

Military members must have formal SABC training once every 22 months or within 90 days of a deployment.

The goal for the base is to have 100 percent of the troops up-to-date on their training. Since January, Travis has improved the percentage of its Airmen who have completed the training from about 50 percent to 93 percent, Mr. Hoenicke said.

Military members who need to take the class should contact their squadron SABC monitors to schedule an appointment. For civilians interested in taking the class, they can do so at their commander's discretion.

"SABC isn't just for combat situations; it's for anytime, any emergency from a national emergency that forever changes the world we know, a war that we fight endlessly, to an accident on the freeway. SABC is the five to 25 minutes it takes for help to arrive, the difference between dead on arrival and a fighting chance," said Airmen 1st Class Stephanie Page, 60th Operations Support Squadron SABC moniter.

"Increasing people's aptitude and ability to perform SABC is a good thing for military members and civilians; we now have thousands of people on base who can do what it takes to save a life," Mr. Hoenicke said.