By Abigail Oleniczak
EAA AirVenture’s First Aid building offers many different services. The staff are a happy group of volunteers who share one common goal: to help and care for the spectators at the air show. They provide assistance for the things no one anticipates.
Nurse Gloria Zehnacker started volunteering in the 1990s and said that some of the most common injuries they treat are dehydration, bug bites, sunburn, road rash, and blistered feet. The staff encourage all attendees to prioritize hydration.
“Comfortable shoes are a necessity,” said Dr. Bob Wubben. He said it is important to wear shoes that are not new but rather broken in to prevent blisters and aches.
“Here we assess, recommend, and send people to a higher level of care,” said Connie Campbell, co-chair at the First Aid building who has volunteered for the past 35 years. “We see people for almost anything: abdominal pain, scooter accidents, and chest pain. We are here to help in any way that we can.”
She suggests you apply sunscreen one hour prior to sun exposure and recommends wearing long-sleeved shirts. Staff members also encourage parents write their child’s name and a phone number on temporary ID bands to help if their child gets lost. Using a buddy system is important, as well as telling a friend or family member where you are going and when you plan to return.
Campbell said they once had a volunteer who had become burned out from his physician career. But after he came to EAA AirVenture and volunteered in First Aid, he had a new appreciation and excitement about caring for others.
“The people here are like a family that keeps on coming back each year,” said Patti Bethel, a registered nurse with a background in ER and trauma. “It’s the camaraderie.”
In the event of a medical emergency, dial 911. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has two ambulances on the grounds and three during the air shows.
The First Aid buildings are located northeast of the FAA control tower off Waukau Avenue on the convention grounds, and on Schaik Avenue and 38th Street in Camp Scholler. The Camp Scholler location is open 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. The convention site is open 8 a.m.-7 p.m. except on Wednesday and Saturday, when it closes at 9 p.m. Both First Aid buildings close at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, the last day of AirVenture.