No cowboys at this rodeo

Cannon’s EMTs test their medical abilities against each other

Screams filled the air as Cannon medics rushed from victim to victim to determine who was hurt the worst and who could be saved.

Meanwhile, emergency medical technicians frantically worked to revive someone who they feared drowned.

These were not real-world emergencies, but rather part of a training competition during the 27th Medical Group’s EMT Rodeo.

The rodeo is the first event of its kind at Cannon and included a variety of events to showcase the skills and abilities for the base EMTs.

Six teams of four Airmen each, ranging in rank from airman to lieutenant colonel participated in the event, said medic Tech. Sgt. Jorge Rivas, 27th Aeromedical Dental Squadron.

The teams participated in events that included trauma assessments, ambulance loading and pharmacology jeopardy, a trivia game in which each team demonstrated their knowledge of how to administer medication.

Some of the events were timed to test the teams’ ability to perform under pressure and also to help simulate real-world situations that may occur.

“This is us doing what’s right and moving forward so our people have the best skill sets they can have,” said Col. Kenneth Hall, 27th MDG commander. “We’re trying to set our people up with the life-saving skills that they need when they go forward to AEF 7/8 and for things here at home.”

The rodeo was held, in part, in preparation of the Aerospace Expeditionary Force 7/8 rotation, as well as to evaluate the knowledge of each Airman in areas including self-aid and buddy care, ambulance knowledge and triage.

Because the medic career field encompasses a wide array of skills, the rodeo focused on those skills that help Airmen treat servicemembers in the field, as well as emergency calls at Cannon, said Sergeant Rivas.

“One of the reasons we did this is not just to hone our readiness skills to build teamwork and camaraderie with our medics,” said Chief Master Sgt. Charles Cole, 27th MDG superintendent. “Not only will it help with our medical skills, but also help us in our day-to-day interactions with each other and our patients.”

“We plan on having this event in the future and would like to invite other departments such as the fire department to participate,” said Sergeant Rivas, “Taking care of wounded Airmen is a top concern for the Air Force and the 27th MDG’s EMT rodeo is just one example of this concern.”