Security officer displays heroism at Radford Army Ammunition Plant

RADFORD, Va. - On the morning of July 9, Latrell Keys, a contracted security officer, was just getting ready to transition to his typical post on day shift after working a voluntary night shift at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant.

Keys, who works the main gate on a permanent basis, saw something he hadn't witnessed in his eight years of employment at RFAAP.

"I was getting my stuff together, and I noticed a car coming up the hill, but I didn't see the other car that was parked," Keys said. "When I opened the shack door, there was a male crawling at my feet asking me for help. It took me off guard.

"I was asking him what's going on? What's wrong?," Keys added. "He said, 'I think I'm having a reaction to my medication,' and I saw that he was on speaker phone with his wife, so I started talking to her to get some information on him, and at the same time, I was radioing our dispatch letting them know what we had going on and to send EMS. Once I got done doing that, I gave the phone back to him and that's when he started throwing up - a lot. I radioed dispatch again and let them know he was throwing up so when they got there, they wouldn't be surprised by that."

Keys noted emergency medical service personnel arrived on scene quickly, and they went to work swiftly to aid the man. While they did, Keys turned into a traffic director.

"This all happened at our inbound lane for tractor trailers and employees," said the 36-year-old. "I had to get them around the area and to their jobs."

Once stabilized, the man was sent to Carilion New River Valley Medical Center.

"Later that day, his wife came back to our post to get his car and told the guards that were up there that his potassium levels were critically low and apparently you can die from that, which I had no idea," Keys said. "She told the guards I potentially saved his life, and I feel great about that. He hasn't met me officially, but I saw him recently when I was driving in a patrol car, and I was glad to see he was back at work.

"I definitely feel really good I was able to help him," Keys added. "You can get kind of complacent on the job and at any time something crazy like that can happen. I am just glad I was able to do everything the right way and be able to help him out."

Keys, a Blacksburg, Virginia native, has trained for emergencies such as what he experienced. However, he counted on his instincts more than anything.

"At first, I thought maybe he was a bad actor and trying to do something," Keys said. "Honestly, things just kicked in, and I didn't hesitate on anything. I also had a new hire with me, and he had no clue what was going on, but he was very calm and relaxed, too."

While a few months have passed since Keys' heroic effort, he still receives kudos for a job well done.

"There are people who are in the administrative building, and they tell me all the time congratulations," Keys said. "All the staff have been really supportive.

"I have a job to do and I'm just glad I was able to do it the right way," he added. "I'm just honestly glad I was able to help him out."

Christopher Bays, Keys' program manager, emphasized that Keys embodies the highest standards of professionalism and compassion in every aspect.

"Officer Keys and I worked together when I was just an officer, and I have a deep respect for Mr. Keys. He's one of my outstanding guys. He does his job very well. He takes his job seriously. He's a good-hearted person. He's always looking out for everybody," Bays said. "He treats everybody with respect. I get compliments about him all the time. I get good feedback about him and his partner.

"Keys is a very outstanding person. He's got character. He cares about his job. He cares about his team. He cares about the people he's at the plant to protect," Bays added.