![]() “It made me really appreciate that we have quick thinking employees who don’t think twice about helping another out,” said Neilson. When hearing of the near tragedy, Lead TSA Training Manager Rachelle Neilson wondered if she would be able to assist a choking victim the way Amanda did. Salt Lake City International Airport Supervisory TSA Officer Chelsie Derby (Photo courtesy of TSA SLC) “In that moment, I was just desperate to do anything to help Chelsie, who is one of my best friends outside of work.” “Until that day, I had never had to do the Heimlich maneuver, nor did I know I could actually do it,” said Cook. “At that point, I was still scared, but felt hopeful that I was going to be OK,” Derby said. The food finally dislodged, and Derby gasped for air. When Cook realized the backslapping wasn’t working, she changed tactics, moving behind Derby and started to perform the Heimlich maneuver. “All I remember thinking was ‘What do I do? I’m choking,’” said Derby. But the initial effort didn’t dislodge the food from her throat. “I’ve had two, and my mom instinct took over,” recalled Cook. Moving to Derby’s side, she quickly hit Derby on the back several times like you would a choking infant. Salt Lake City International Airport Supervisory TSA Officer Amanda Cook ( Photo courtesy of TSA SLC)Ĭook took immediate action. “She was clutching the desk, and her face was red.” “I looked at her and realized she was choking,” said STSO Amanda Cook. “It all happened so fast that it took a minute to realize what happened,” said Supervisory TSA Officer (STSO) Angel Stephensen as she recalled the lunchtime incident.įour Salt Lake City International Airport TSA officers were in the briefing room chatting and having a well-deserved lunch break when STSO Chelsie Derby stopped in mid-sentence, stood up, red-faced and leaned over her desk. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |