Joyce Marie Taylor
Suwannee Democrat
Mayo —
Lafayette County’s Medical Director Robert Spindell shared some exciting news with county commissioners at their Nov. 13 meeting.
Spindell, through the paramedic program, has just taken an advanced airway course in Miami, part of his continuing pre-hospital training instructorship for medics and related fields.
“It will enable me and certify me to provide official instruction in certain areas of pre-hospital medicine, per the University of Miami bonafide certificate,” said Spindell.
Then, on a more personal note, Spindell said he has made some recent career aligning decisions and has been recommissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel with the Florida Air National Guard. He has been assigned to the 125th Fighter Wing and medical group in Jacksonville.
Spindell said it will be a learning process going from previous Army to Air Force.
“The missions of these Guard units are very multi-faceted,” said Spindell. “It’s a fighter wing and that’s the primary mission, but the Guard is now being more oriented toward, at least in the Air Force, not the Army, is more oriented to Homeland Security issues.”
Spindell said part of their missions deal with combat casualty air transport teams, and others with pre-hospital emergency response teams.
“They will set up emergency hospital units in areas of natural disasters, such as Hurricane Sandy that hit up the east coast,” he said. “What it’s going to entail is teams that are certified and specially trained to go out to disaster struck areas.”
Spindell said he’s not there yet because he hasn’t received the training, but that is where he will eventually be serving with the Florida Air National Guard.
“I’m kind of realigning my own personal paths with the military, but all these programs involve or have a correlation with pre-hospital medicine,” said Spindell.
Lafayette County Emergency Medical Service Director Trevor Hicks said, “In short summary, he’ll be available to us more if we need him more.”
