Fountain Valley's Honored Heroes: Vance Shaylor

For the past six years, Vance Shaylor of Fountain Valley has been doing his part to help the U.S. Coast Guard save lives. But, thanks to training he received while still in high school, it was the life of one of his own he ended up saving.

Shaylor serves as a mechanic, and while working near high-pressure equipment, a spring released from one of the machines, projected through the air and hit a co-worker.  It severed his carotid artery and punctured his jugular vein. Shaylor remembered the techniques he learned as a first responder student while in high school, and immediately controlled the bleeding then called for a helicopter to transport his friend to a medical facility. Shaylor attributes the training he learned as a first responder to saving the life of his co-worker and friend. The Coast Guard agreed, and awarded him a special commendation medal for his brave actions. 

He served his first three years in San Diego aboard a 273-foot ship called the Hamilton. While on the Hamilton, he made several trips to Central America to help with the pursuit of drug runners, and one trip up to Alaska. For the past three years, he has been stationed in Alameda, working on boats as they come in. He has training on several different engines and can use the latest technology on repairs of engines. He plans to pursue a career as a firefighter when his Coast Guard commitment is up.