Anchorage Firefighter Ben Schultz did something this week that many didn't think was possible.
He returned to full duty.
After falling from a 100-foot ladder during training in 2017, Schultz was on a ventilator and in a coma for weeks, His severe brain injury had some worried he may not survive.
“I basically have a gap of any memories where I was still in a semi-vegetative state,“Even though I would have moments where I was lucid. So I had to repetitively question, ‘What happened? Why are we not in Anchorage?’ So there is a gap," he told KTUU.
He spent years of grueling therapy working toward one goal -- returning to the job he loved.
Schultz was an administrative assistant at the fire department for a while, but the job was eliminated due to budge cuts.
He's using his paramedic and firefighter expertise again in his new role.
“So in a nutshell, I’ll be working with the team at the Anchorage Fire Regional Training Center coordinating EMS and fire training for on-duty crews throughout the Anchorage Fire Department,” he said.
Battalion Chief James Dennis said of Schultz returning: “He just has a vast knowledge and experience that he can bring to the line again, and really just bring that energy back to our training."
