Tell Us Your Story!
Beginning this past August 2007, we started doing a monthly feature story submitted by one of our instructors. Some of you have gone over and beyond the call of duty and strengthened the “chain of survival.” If you have a success story of when CPR was needed unexpectedly during a class or off-duty activities, please email your story to daplopez@wfubmc.edu. Some instructors have informed us at the Training Center that they saved victims experiencing either cardiac arrest or choking. Fortunately, they were there to rescue the victim and knew exactly what to do! Those who read the website would love to hear your human interest story --- so please, share it with us!
For the month of November, one of our instructors, Mark Holt was featured in the Kernersville News, published November 6, 2007:
Piney Grove firefighters save life
On Oct. 15, the firefighters of Piney Grove Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department were busily engaged in a training exercise as part of their continuing education classes for maintaining their certifications as emergency medical technicians (EMT).
Just like any other training night, firefighters in attendance were assigned to various trucks to make responding to a call during training easier. Lori Bork, Elizabeth Boger and Mark Holt were assigned to the department’s rescue truck.
That night, firefighters were training for cardiac emergencies and were working through scenarios with their instructor. They had been working for about an hour when the department was dispatched to a home not far from the fire station. Bork, Boger and Holt responded.
“The call came in as a seizure,” Bork said. “The home was almost right behind the fire station, so we were able to respond in less than a minute. When we walked in, the patient was on the couch. He had no pulse and wasn’t breathing. He was basically dead.”
Bork and Holt eased the patient to the floor. They reassessed the patient – and still, no breathing or pulse. Boger began chest compressions while Bork gave the patient oxygen using an airbag. While they were working, Holt began preparing to use the department’s AED, or automatic external defibrillator.
“We got the pads on the patient and waited,” Holt said. “The machine will take a moment to detect a pulse or heart activity and tell you whether you should continue chest compressions or administer a shock. The machine told us to shock the patient and we pushed the button.”
Forsyth County EMS personnel arrived just after the patient had been revived. They switched their AED with Piney Grove’s, double-checked the patient’s pulse, and moved him to the ambulance.
“Elizabeth and I rode to the hospital with him,” Bork said. “He never once lost his pulse – and he had a good, strong pulse. He didn’t regain consciousness, but he was breathing on his own.”
Thanks to the fast response and a well-trained team, Bork said the patient is home and doing well.
“He’s absolutely fine,” Bork said. “He has no brain damage at all and went home just a few days after being hospitalized.”
That night’s training was one of many “refresher courses” that are required for EMT’s to have in order to keep their certification. Every four years, an EMT’s training file is reviewed and checked for successful completion of continuing education classes.
“It just so happened that last month we were working on CPR and cardiac emergency response,” Holt said. “You can’t miss but one continuing education class out of a year, and every two years you have to get recertified in CPR as part of continuing education. That was definitely one hour’s worth of training that paid off.”
The trio – all of whom are volunteers – said they each undergo a minimum of 30 hours of training in a year.
Boger is currently enrolled in paramedic school at Davidson County Community College. She has been with the Piney Grove fire department for less than a year and said the Oct. 15 incident was the first time she had ever had to do CPR on a patient. Bork, the wife of Piney Grove Chief Randy Bork, has been with the department for about two years and has only had to do CPR two patients in that time. Holt has logged four years with the department and has more than a decade of experience in rescue. The Oct. 15 incident was the first time he had ever had to shock someone using the AED.
“I think ‘Joe Blow’ on the street should have CPR training,” Bork said. “It’s something everybody ought to know. You can save a life with it.”
“Many malls and places like Wal-Mart have AED’s on the walls,” Holt said. “All CPR training courses that come from the American Heart Association have AED training in their curriculum. You ought to be able to grab it off the wall and use it if you have to – it’s automated and tells you what needs to be done. You won’t be able to shock someone who doesn’t need it.”
Bork said the trio was “thrilled” they were able to save a life with their training.
“We didn’t miss a beat,” she said. “You don’t have time to be nervous. It truly was an awesome experience. It’s a great feeling to know he’s home, alive and doing well.”
“Elizabeth and Lori haven’t had as much experience in rescue as I have, but they were top-notch that night,” Holt said. “They were just awesome. That’s what we train for. It could just as easily have happened on a non-training night when we weren’t here and ready to go, but everything worked out for the best.”