Neither wind nor snow nor even school can keep volunteers in Aniak, Alaska, from racing to the rescue. The Dragon Slayers--seven girls and two boys, all between the ages of 13 and 18--are an emergency medical team. They are on call around-the-clock. The team, led by volunteer fire chief Pete Brown, is the only 24-hour rescue service for an area about the size of Maryland. The Dragon Slayers serve 2,000 people in 14 remote villages about 350 miles from Anchorage.
Team members are allowed to leave school for a rescue whenever their beepers go off--even in the middle of a test! The crew has rescued victims of snow-mobile accidents, people trapped in fires and plane-crash survivors. "There is no second chance and no room for failure," says Brown. The volunteers respond to about 400 calls a year.
Ten years ago, after his son was badly injured in an accident, Brown decided that his village needed an emergency medical-services program. He trained only adults at first. But soon, teens wanted a piece of the action. "They thought they should be able to help too," says Brown. Eventually, the adults and most of the boys dropped out. That left lifesaving up to the girls, a few boys and Brown.
All crew members must complete 200 hours of medical and fire-safety training, including the 40-hour first-responder class that firefighters and police officers take.
The young rescuers have found a trusted leader in Brown. "Pete is like a second father," says Dione Turner, 18, who is now a student at the University of Alaska. "He will drop everything if we need to talk." Luckily for those in need, Brown has taught the Dragon Slayers to drop everything to save a life.