Ky. Member Honored for Lifesaving

Maj. Michael Weimer

Maj. Michael Weimer, Kentucky Wing diversity officer and Group 3 commander, has been recognized with Civil Air Patrol’s Certificate of Recogniton for Lifesaving for assisting a heat stroke victim.

Weimer was driving home July 24 when he noticed a slight figure hunched over in a nearby field. With heat indices exceeding 100 degrees, Weimer turned around to check if the man needed medical attention.

The man was indeed in distress, Weimer found. “He had no idea who he was, where he was or what was going on, so I went back to my car and had my travel companion call 911,” he said.

Drawing on his training as an emergency medical technician and a CAP emergency services responder, Weimer swiftly applied a cold compress he made using ice water and paper towels.

Even then, “he was still barely responsive and didn’t know what was going on,” Weimer said.

Emergency responders eventually arrived and took over, staying on the scene 45 minutes.

Weimer said he knew it was important to act quickly, because without immediate intervention the man’s condition would have deteriorated, and he could have died.

Weimer’s interest in emergency services began with CAP and with a local Explorer’s when he was young. He became a volunteer firefighter at 16 and earned his EMT certification in 1994. He served as a firefighter and EMT until 1997, when an active-duty accident which required a leg amputation.

The COVID-19 Responders Act enabled him to reactivate his EMT training. “I realize those tools you learn in CAP, ground team, CPR, communications, are valuable tools for anyone,” he said.

 More people should obtain emergency training, even if it is just being able to recognize that something isn’t right. You never know when you can save a life.”