Emergency situation, Reservist reacts Published July 30, 2009 By Tech. Sgt. Scott J. Pryor 911 AW/PA PITTSBURGH IAP ARS -- No one is ever quite sure how he or she will respond during an emergency situation. In spite of all the training Air Force Reserve members receive, there are some events members are not trained for and one can only hope to react correctly if the situation arises. Staff Sgt. Chris Card, a computer systems controller for the 911th Communications Squadron, was tested on how he would react June 24 when he and two others in his rental car came upon a threecar accident while heading back to Robins Air Force Base, Ga. Sergeant Card was on temporary duty to the base when he saw the van ahead of him swerve and then saw the results of the incident in front of his vehicle. A car stopped at a traffic light had been rear-ended by another to set off a chain reaction. "You never want to see a car accident and deal with it," the sergeant said. "It was one of those instinct things. We just did what was the right thing to do. When I first saw it, it was like, 'Wow!' Then once I realized what was happening, things started to slow down." Sergeant Card, riding in the back seat, and the other members rushed to the car closest to them. In the passenger's side they find a woman who appeared to be dazed from the impact of the crash. He said they then noticed the driver's four-yearold daughter. They were able to get the mother out of the car and take her to the passenger's side to care for her daughter since both victims spoke Spanish. The little girl was riding in the front in a booster seat. She was crying and had been shaken up as a result of being hit in the mouth when the a i r b a g s deployed. The m e m b e r s helped to extract the girl from the car and, to help calm her down, one of the members with Sergeant Card gave the little girl a cold drink and a recruiter's coin. The girl suffered minor injuries and was treated by an Emergency Medical Team. Sergeant Card then helped to redirect the flow of oncomingtraffic away from the accident until an off-duty sheriff arrived at the scene. Senior Master Sergeant Catherine M. Monteon, a first sergeant for the 349th Maintenance Squadron at Travis Air Base, Calif., was in the van ahead of Sergeant Card's and observed his actions. "His absolute control of the situation was apparent. Without his quick response and calm demeanor, the situation could have quickly gotten out of control. His reaction to the entire situation was a sight to see. I'd like to think in similar situations we'd all react as instinctively as he did. The Air Force Reserve is loaded with ordinary people doing extraordinary things." Sergeant Card was attending the Recruiter Selection Course at Robins AFB, Ga., at the time of the accident. He completed course and departed Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station July 23 for Recruiters School at Lackland AFB, Texas.