On April 16, 2023, the Motorcycle Riders Association (MRA) hosted a race at Johns Peak, located in Jacksonville, Oregon. The Mercy Flights Inc. Explorer Program, also known as Explorer Post 131, was assigned to the event for medical standby. Explorer Post participants Katelyn and her partner Jeremy were on scene and assigned to an ATV for the day’s event.
Around 10 a.m., Katelyn and Jeremy received radio communications that a medical response was needed for a rider with a head laceration. While enroute, the call was upgraded to an abdominal laceration. As Katelyn and Jeremy arrived on scene, they observed a patient on the ground, experiencing heavy bleeding. After a quick assessment, Katelyn called for air transportation and initiated stop the bleed protocol, packing the wound as quickly as possible while applying pressure.
Once final preparations were complete, the patient was loaded into the stokes basket on the ATV and transported to the landing zone. In the short time it took Katelyn and Jeremy to reach the helicopter, the bleeding had ceased, and the patient was flown to a local hospital.
Though the patient encountered significant injuries from the accident, we are happy to report that the patient has recovered and is back home. Due to the quick work of the Explorer students, doctors attribute the quick response, immediate stop the bleed technique, and quick initiation of aircraft transportation to have saved the life of the patient.
In May, Sheila Clough, Mercy Flights Inc. CEO, presented Jeremy and Katelyn with a certificate of appreciation for their incredible work. The award stated, “Thank you for your life-saving efforts on Sunday, April 16, 2023, where your quick and efficient actions saved the life of a motorcycle participant while performing medical standby with Explorer Post 131”.
The Explorer Post is an extension of The Boy Scouts of America program and was established in Medford, Oregon in 1995. The Explorer program is an interactive, worksite-based career education program that focuses on a single career field such as fire, EMS, and law enforcement. The program gives youth and young adults (ages 14-20 years of age) insight into the world of emergency medical services (EMS). The Mercy Flights Explorer program provides students with relevant training and acts as an extension of Mercy Flights Inc. through community service projects and outreach.
To learn more about the Explorer Post, please email Marcus Allen and marcusa@mercyflights.com.
