12 Scholastic Action | December 6, 2010

teen Spotlight—lexile 680

Amanda is trained to handle all kinds of emergencies.

Vocabularyemergency trauma technician: a person trained to give emergency medical care to people in some areas of Alaska first aid: emergency treatment (such as bandaging) given to an ill or injured person immobilize: fix in place, keep from movingclinic: a building or room where people can go for medical treatmentconfident: sure of oneself

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emergency, Amanda is there to help save lives.

How did a teen get such an important job? Only about 600 people live in Aniak, Alaska, the town where Amanda lives. There are no roads to Aniak. To get there, you have to fly in on a plane. When emergencies happen, there are few people who can help.

About 15 years ago, Aniak’s fire chief noticed a group of teens hanging out by the firehouse. He started training them to help people in emergencies. These teens are known as the Dragon

Slayers. They respond to more than 450 calls

a year.

A lot to learn

In seventh grade, Amanda

started training

to be a Dragon Slayer. “I always thought it was so cool that they got to go and help people,” she says. “I wanted to do that.”

Training took time. There were two-hour meetings twice a week, plus first aid classes. Amanda learned what to do in case of a heart attack, a broken bone, a head injury, and more. The day she became a Dragon Slayer was a very proud day.

Rising to the Challenge

The fire at the community hall was Amanda’s first fire—but she didn’t hesitate to act. She put her fear aside and did her job.

Scholastic Action | December 6, 2010 13

Early on Sunday, November 22, 2009, Amanda Hoeldt was asleep on her couch. She had stayed up late playing video games with two friends. But when Amanda’s beeper went off, all three girls were up in an instant.

Their town’s community hall was on fire. The girls raced to the fire station for equipment, then headed for the blaze. “We went to the community hall, and big black smoke was coming out,” remembers Amanda. “We set up our hoses.”

Without the teens, the building could easily have burned to the ground. But the girls prevented that from happening. That’s their job.

heroic teensAmanda, 15,

is a trained emergency trauma technician. When there’s a fire, a plane crash, or another A

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teen vs. FireShe fights fires. She saves lives. She’s 15.

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One of the Dragon Slayers’ helmets

the heart of a Dragon Slayer

Amanda has done a lot for her community. And being a Dragon Slayer has done a lot for Amanda. Teaching others how to save lives has helped her become a strong leader. Responding to emergencies

Amanda’s bravery has helped her many times—like at the scene of an ATV crash last year. The victims were badly hurt, cut up in the accident. “It was bloody,” she remembers. “But it’s what I was trained for.”

Amanda helped to roll one of the crash victims onto a backboard. A backboard is used to immobilize the spine before the patient is moved. This is done to prevent further injury. “I helped to keep the person still and calm,” Amanda says.

The Dragon Slayers put the victims in aid cars, which are like ambulances. They headed to the local clinic. Thanks to their quick action, both victims survived the crash.

has made her brave. After years of fires and

crashes, Amanda feels ready for anything. “I feel more confident in my abilities,” she says. “When you see that you can help people, it’s not so hard to do other things.”

—Zoë Kashner

14 Scholastic Action | December 6, 2010

phOtOS: see more exciting pictures of Amanda and the

Dragon slayers. www.scholastic.com/actionlink

As part of their training, the teens practice putting Katie hoeldt, Amanda’s sister, onto a backboard.

Dragon Slayers learn how to put out fires.

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